Miami Heat reportedly waited for Erik Spoelstra to divorce his wife before extending his contract for $120 million
Speculation has been generated about a possible deliberate delay in the negotiations to prevent Nikki Sapp from being able to claim part of the proceeds.
(Cordon Press)
Renowned NBA coach Erik Spoelstra signed a contract worth more than $100 million with the Miami Heat and announced it just after finalizing his divorce with his wife. This has generated speculation about a possible connection between the two events.
The future of Spoelstra, 53, seemed uncertain a few weeks ago because the coach was completing the final year of his contract, and there seemed to be no indication that the Miami Heat had any intention of re-signing him. However, shortly after the confirmation of their divorce, a new contract extension for eight more years, valued at $120 million, was announced. This contract makes him one of the highest-paid coaches in NBA history.
The timing of the announcement was so close to the finalization of the divorce that speculation has been raised about whether there was an intentional delay in the contract to prevent Spoelstra's ex-wife, Nikki Sapp, from having the right to claim some of the profits from the new mega-deal.
In fact, many users mocked Sapp on social media for missing out on Spoelstra's fortune after the divorce. However, the ex-wife of the famous NBA coach responded to the criticism by pointing out that a woman can decide to be or not be with someone successful without money influencing her.
"According to crass, ignorant, uninformed society at large (...), women can't be genuinely in love with someone successful. No, they're pretending and they're in it for the money. And if a woman chooses to not be with a successful partner, apparently she's an idiot," she said.
The divorce
Spoelstra and Nikki's separation became public in November 2023 after seven years of marriage. The couple issued a statement saying they made the "joint" decision to file for divorce.
"We have made the difficult yet amicable decision to jointly file to formally end our marriage. We are both grateful for our relationship and remain fully committed to co-parenting our children and continuing to make them our shared priority," they expressed.
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