17 Dec 2011

Heat give coach Spoelstra new contract

12:49 pm on 17 December 2011

The Miami Heat NBA basketball side has rewarded coach Erik Spoelstra with a contract extension, though team president Pat Riley hasn't announced contract details.

Spoelstra, Riley's hand-picked successor in 2008, coached the LeBron James-led Heat to the NBA Finals last season where they lost to the Dallas Mavericks in six games.

Riley says they have one of the great young coaches in the league and they wanted to extend him and keep him in the family and not have someone steal him away.

Spoelstra, 41, has compiled a 148-98 record in three seasons as Miami's coach. He led the Heat to the Eastern Conference championship and a 58-24 regular-season record in their first season with James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade playing together.