A Look at What Happened to the Miami Heat's 5 Previous Coaches
Since its inception in the 1988-89 NBA season, the Miami Heat have been among the most successful franchises in the league, winning three titles and making the playoffs in 24 of 35 seasons. While Miami has had star players like Dwyane Wade, Alonzo Mourning, and LeBron James, a lot of the team's success can be attributed to coaching. Miami has had just six coaches in 36 years. In contrast, the Cleveland Cavaliers have made seven coaching changes in the last 13 seasons (2010 to 2024) and six other teams have made at least five coaching changes.
Erik Spoelstra, Miami's current head coach, is in his 16th season with the team and is the second-longest tenured coach in the NBA behind Gregg Popovich, who has been coach of the San Antonio Spurs for nearly three decades. Spoelstra recently agreed to an eight-year, $120 million contract extension, which is the largest coaching contract in league history.
With Spoelstra likely at the helm for at least another eight seasons, here's a look back at Miami's first five coaches, their records, and what they’re doing now.
Pat Riley
A member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Pat Riley is one of the most successful coaches in NBA history, ranking fifth all-time in regular season wins with 1,210. He led the Los Angeles Lakers to four NBA championships in the 1980s and was the head coach of the Heat in 2005-06, when they won their first-ever NBA title. Riley joined Miami in 1995-96 after four seasons as head coach of the New York Knicks and, in 11 seasons with the team, had a win-loss record of 454-395.
A three-time NBA Coach of the Year, Riley gave up coaching after a disappointing 2007-08 season in which the Heat went 15-67. However, he has been an integral part of the organization's front office since becoming the team's president in 1995; he still holds the position today. Riley was instrumental in convincing LeBron James to sign with the team, a move that resulted in two championships over a four-year span, and his relentless pursuit of winning fostered an environment known throughout the league as "Heat Culture."
"It's not always easy," said Riley in 2020, speaking to the press. "But I think you have to have an environment in which you create something in some way, shape or form where everybody can flourish."
Stan Van Gundy
An assistant with the Heat from 1995-96 to 2002-03, Stan Van Gundy began his NBA head coaching career with Miami in 2003-04 and spent two-and-a-half seasons in this position, guiding the team to a 112-73 record. However, Riley, who had stepped away from coaching two seasons prior to give an opportunity to his former assistant and protege, replaced Van Gundy as head coach 21 games into the 2005-06 season. The decision clearly paid off as the Heat won its first championship that season.
While Van Gundy officially resigned and said he wanted to spend more time with his family, he was back coaching in 2007-08 with the Orlando Magic. He spent five seasons with the Magic and had a 259-135 record during that time, winning at least 50 games in his first four seasons and leading the Magic to the NBA Finals in 2008-09. He later coached the Detroit Pistons and New Orleans Pelicans. Van Gundy is now a color commentator with TNT.
Alvin Gentry
Now a distinguished head coach with 1,170 career regular season games of experience, including most recently in 2021-22 with the Sacramento Kings, Alvin Gentry received his first head coaching opportunity on an interim basis with the Heat in the 1994-95 season. Gentry, who had been an assistant coach with Miami since 1991-92, took over for Kevin Loughery with 36 games left in the season and led the team to a 15-21 record.
Gentry spent the next six seasons, three as an assistant and three as head coach, with the Pistons and later coached the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Pelicans, and Sacramento Kings. He's still part of the Kings organization as vice president of basketball engagement.
Kevin Loughery
As a player, Loughery averaged 15.3 points, 3.7 assists, and 3 rebounds per game in 755 career regular season games. He began his coaching career with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1972-73 and coached five other teams before joining the Heat in 1991-92. Through four seasons as Miami's coach, Loughery had a 133-159 record. He had just one winning season, going 42-40 in the 1993-94 season.
Ron Rothstein
Miami appointed Ron Rothstein as its first-ever head coach before its inaugural season in 1988-89. He led the team to a 15-67 record that year and spent two more seasons as head coach, winning 18 and 24 games in those years. He spent one season as the Pistons head coach in 1992-93 and was later part of coaching staffs in Cleveland and Indiana. He was an assistant coach with the Heat from 2004-05 to 2013-14. Rothstein has also coached in the WNBA—he served as head coach for the Miami Sol from 2000 to 2002, the entirety of the team’s existence.