NBA coaching contracts are becoming more lucrative than ever. Monty Williams and Gregg Popovich signed mammoth contracts in the summer, with Erik Spoelstra signing an eight-year, $120 million extension this month. Spoelstra was recently divorced, so many assumed the Heat waited for the divorce to be finalized before giving Spo the new contract, a move Shaquille O’Neal liked.
“Apparently, Erik Spoelstra’s been going through a divorce. So his divorce got filed and a couple of days later, they made him one of the highest-paid NBA coaches ever. I don’t think they did that on purpose, but if they did, that’s one hell of a chess move.”
Shaq says the Heat made a ‘chess move’ for deciding to pay Erik Spoelstra after his divorce
(🎥 @bigpodwithshaq / https://t.co/rAF2Xy5i14) pic.twitter.com/KEF725WdVc
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 18, 2024
Spoelstra got divorced in November 2023, as the NBA season was starting. The pair were married for seven years and have three children together. They released a joint statement to announce the news when it happened.
“We have made the difficult yet amicable decision to jointly file to formally end our marriage,” the pair told the Miami Herald in a joint statement. We are both grateful for our relationship and remain fully committed to co-parenting our children and continuing to make them our shared priority. We appreciate everyone’s support as we move to the next stage of our lives and thank you for respecting our family’s privacy.”
It’s fair to assume that he was already in extension talks with the Heat. Still, both parties could have been waiting to see Spoelstra’s divorce be finalized before they put more money on the table, as his ex-wife Nikki would be entitled to half of that contract if he received it while they were still married.
Spoelstra’s Ex-Wife Doesn’t Like Social Media Calling Her A Gold Digger
Erik Spoelstra’s ex-wife Nikki issued a rant on Instagram where she wasn’t happy at the misogynistic stories that were being made about her divorce. She claimed she was being harassed on social media and made some great points about how women on social media are always portrayed to be after money.
“‘Way to fumble the bag.’ Lol. I’m going to address this comment NOT as it pertains to my personal life choices but as it relates to a general thought process that I believe a lot of people have, and that a lot of people have harassed me with over the years. According to crass, ignorant, uninformed society at large, women can’t “win.” Women can’t be genuinely in love with someone successful. No, they’re pretending and they’re in it for the money. And if a woman chooses to not be with a successful partner, apparently she’s an idiot. And no, I won’t ignore it. IgNoRiNg iT (harassment) for years messed with my emotional health and people need to have a better understanding of how their words can affect other people. Not just me. But people. In general.”
This divorce has been a rough process for both parties involved. There’s no doubt that Nikki will be taken care of even if she isn’t legally entitled to his new contract extension. Sometimes, it’s more important to do the right thing and provide for your family, something Erik and Nikki built together with multiple children.
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