The U.S. men’s basketball team is expected to have a new head coach for the upcoming four-year cycle leading to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. According to Evan Sidery, the current head coach Steve Kerr is likely to step down from his position, despite leading the team to Olympic gold at the Paris Games just a few days ago.
Steve Kerr is likely to retire as Team USA head coach, which means a new lead voice for 2028 in Los Angeles.
Erik Spoelstra is viewed as the strong internal favorite to become Team USA’s next in line following Gregg Popovich and Kerr. pic.twitter.com/njYm4I8Cfx
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) August 11, 2024
Reports suggest that Kerr’s assistant coach with the national team, Erik Spoelstra, is the frontrunner to take over as the new head coach of the U.S. team. Spoelstra is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the NBA and has been the head coach of the Miami Heat for 16 years. He is also recognized as one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history.
Steve Kerr was appointed as the head coach of the U.S. team in December 2021. However, his tenure included a disappointing performance at last year’s FIBA World Cup, where the U.S. team lost three games and finished in fourth place. Kerr redeemed himself by guiding the team to Olympic gold in Paris, where they defeated the host nation France 98-87 in the final.
Kerr faced considerable criticism from media analysts and fans in his home country for only using NBA champion and Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum sparingly during the tournament.