Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra will serve as the coach of the Team Durant at the 2022 NBA All-Star game in Cleveland later this month. Spoelstra’s Heat currently lead the Chicago Bulls by a half of a game for the top seed in the East at the time of the league’s cutoff date, and that’s how the distinction was determined. Spoelstra’s coaching staff will be joining him on the sideline on Cleveland.
Had the Bulls bested the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday afternoon, Bulls coach Billy Donovan would have been selected instead of Spoelstra. However, the Sixers pulled out a 119-108 (box score) victory over Chicago to punch Spoelstra’s ticket. This will be the second time that Spoelstra served as an All-Star coach, as he also did so back in 2013.
Other than Durant, Spoelstra doesn’t know exactly who he will be coaching yet, as the teams will be officially selected by the two captains (Durant and LeBron James) on Thursday. The captains, who were selected by fan vote, will alternate picks until both rosters are full. Heat forward Jimmy Butler will be joining Spoelstra in Cleveland, as he was selected to the game as a reserve.
Phoenix has the best record in the league at this point in the season, so Suns coach Monty Williams will serve as the captain of Team LeBron. It is Williams’ first time serving as an coach in the annual event. The All-Star game is scheduled for Feb. 20.
