Miami Heat’s Erik Spoelstra Still In Awe of LeBron James’ Longevity, Versatility
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra had LeBron James at the peak of his career from 2010-14.
Spoelstra’s one regret?
Not playing James at center. James has played the position this season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“If I knew he was willing to play center, I would’ve done that 10 years ago,” Spoelstra said. “… [Former Heat assistant] Ron Rothstein said to me back then, 10 years ago, if we started LeBron at any one of the positions, he’d be the best player at his position.”
James, in his 19th season, remains one of the league’s top players. Spoelstra said he continues to be impressed by James’ versatility, especially at his age.
“It really remarkable,” Spoelstra said. “There’s so many things that you can talk about. He’s going to be the all-time leader [in scoring] for this Association but you can see he’s a pass-first guy. But he’s that good that he can also lead the league in scoring. He can lead the league in assists. He could lead the league in rebounding if he wanted to.”
James has no plans of slowing down. In an interview with The Athletic, he said he would love to finish his career playing alongside his son Bronny. The earliest that could happen is the 2024-25 season.
Spoelstra thinks James will have no problem lasting that long.
“He’ll play at this level for as long as he chooses to,” Spoelstra said. “He’s that committed to everything behind the scenes, taking care of his body, the science, the rest. He’s redefining what the possibilities are for human performance.”
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