The US men s basketball team changes coaches! Kerr officially steps down! The new coach is the first in the NBA

On October 11, according to NBA reporter Shams, Spoelstra succeeded Cole and became the new head coach of the US men's basketball team, leading the team to compete in the 2027 Basketball World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Cole will become the head coach of the US men's basketball team in 2021 and lead the team to the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics.

After the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Cole will succeed Popovich. In the 2023 Basketball World Cup, Cole led his team to only fourth place, and the United States lost to Lithuania, Germany and Canada respectively. In the 2024 Paris Olympics, Zanduku played, and Cole finally waited for the full number and led the team to win the championship. NBA superstars only value the Olympics and don't care about the World Cup.

It is foreseeable that the 2027 US men's basketball lineup will definitely not be so luxurious. By the 2028 Olympics, Zanduku may have retired, and it will be up to Edwards, Tatum and others to carry the team. Whether the U.S. men's basketball team can compete with the strong European teams by then is actually unknown. It is a wise move for Cole to step down now.

The leader made two tables: Since 1992 to the present, the head coaches of the US men's basketball team in all previous Olympic Games and World Cups. Coach K is undoubtedly the biggest winner, leading the US men's basketball team to win three Olympic gold medals and two Basketball World Cup gold medals. The only defeat was the 2006 Men's Basketball World Cup, where they lost to Greece in the semifinals and eventually finished third.

By comparison, we can find that in the past 9 Olympic Games, the US men's basketball team has won 8 championships and won the bronze medal once. In the past eight Basketball World Cups, the U.S. men's basketball team has only won three championships, with its worst record being seventh (2019). Moreover, in the past two Basketball World Cups, the U.S. men’s basketball team failed to qualify for the finals. In the 2027 Basketball World Cup, the U.S. men’s basketball team is also a bit uncertain.

Finally, let’s talk about Spoelstra. After Popovich retired, Spoelstra became the longest-serving coach of the same team in the NBA today. Spoelstra was born on November 1, 1970. He is 1.88 meters tall. He was the starting point guard of the school team in high school. He played against Mourning and Kemp. In his college career, he averaged 9.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.

Spoelstra's father once served as an executive for teams such as the Nuggets and Trail Blazers. However, Spoelstra did not get an NBA contract after graduating from college, and he could only go to the German second division league to play. In order to make a living, he once became a shoe dealer. In 1995, Spoelstra suffered a serious back injury, which ended his playing career and became a video coordinator with the Heat.

In the same year, Riley became the head coach of the Heat. He noticed this young man sleeping in the video room every day. By 1999, Spoelstra finally no longer had to deal with video. Riley promoted him to a Heat assistant coach and scout. In 2001, Spoelstra was promoted to the Heat's scouting director and still served as an assistant coach, assisting Riley for 9 years.

In April 2008, Riley ended his coaching career and left the position of Heat coach to Spoelstra. Spoelstra stayed in this position for 17 years from 2008 to 2025, and he will remain the Heat coach for the next few years. In January 2024, the Heat extended Spoelstra's eight-year, US$120 million contract in advance, and the new contract will expire in 2033.

Do you think Spoelstra is the best candidate to coach the US men's basketball team?