For the third time in less than eight months, an NBA head coach has received the most lucrative contract in league history.
The Miami Heat have extended Erik Spoelstra with a new eight-year deal worth more than $120 million according to ESPN. That would represent the most amount of total money committed not just in the NBA, but in all of North American professional sports coaching history.
Last summer, the Detroit Pistons made Monty Williams the highest-paid coach in the NBA with a six-year, $78.5 million contract ($13 million annually). However, just over a month later, the San Antonio Spurs extended Gregg Popovich with a five-year, $80 million deal, giving the five-time NBA champion coach a higher annual ($16 million) and total value than Williams.
Spoelstra’s new reported deal carries an annual value of $15 million, meaning Popovich remains the highest-paid head coach in the NBA on a yearly basis.
Big Bucks
Here’s a breakdown of the new top three, by total value:
- Spoelstra ($120M) …
- Popovich ($80M) …..
- Williams ($78.5M) …
Beyond the top trio, other NBA coaches with big deals include Steve Kerr, who is entering the final year of a contract with the Golden State Warriors believed to be worth $9.5 million annually, and Rick Carlisle, who was making $7.25 million a year before receiving an undisclosed extension in October that could be even more valuable.
