USA Basketball formally introduced Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra as its new head coach for the men’s national team, and Spoelstra wasted no time in acknowledging the changing of the guard — both on the sideline and on the roster.
Team USA has seen legendary basketball icons like LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant own leadership of the Olympic roster. But, by the end of the 2025-26 NBA season, those players will be 41, 38 and 37, respectively.
And while Team USA may lean on established stars like Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton to lead its future rosters, there’s going to be the chance for younger players to step in.
“We don’t have to talk yet about who the players will be — there’s time for that — but there is a call to action,” Spoelstra told reporters Thursday, Oct. 16. “This is a time for the very best American players to raise their hand and want to play on this team because of what you’ve seen in the recent competitions.
“You have to want this, embrace it, feel alive by the challenge.”
The global competition on the men’s stage has improved significantly over the last few decades, with Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Serbia and other countries making forays into international competition.
The first objective on the agenda is the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Qatar, which will take place from Friday, Aug. 27 of that year, through Sunday, Sept. 12.
Historically, USA Basketball has opted to use younger players in men’s World Cup rosters, compared to Olympic rosters. Team USA hasn’t won a gold medal in the event since 2014, with Spain (2019) and Germany (2023) winning the most recent tournaments.
“You have two years before the World Cup,” USA Basketball managing director for the men’s national team Grant Hill said Thursday. “And it seems like every season, there are players who take a step in their development and become better players, All-Star players, players whose games translate in international play and FIBA competition. We’ll continue to monitor that.”
Hill revealed the timeline for when a roster might be finalized for the 2027 World Cup, saying they “would probably wait until next summer” to complete the coaching staff under Spoelstra.
“In terms of picking the roster, much like we did last time, during the playoffs, maybe right before the playoffs in 2027,” Hill said. “Ideally it would be nice to have that done before we went into the playoffs. I think we learned from the Olympics last year, it’s just good to get that done — less distractions for Coach, his staff, the players. They can focus in and lock in on playing in the playoffs.
“Nothing ever goes according to script, but that’s the game plan going forward.”
Spoelstra, was an assistant on the men’s national team over the last several years, culminating in Team USA’s gold medal victory over France at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Before that, Spoelstra was the head coach of the 2021 USA Select Team that trained alongside the 2020 U.S. men’s national team that won gold at the 2020 games in Tokyo.
Spoelstra is replacing Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.
“Coach Spoelstra represents everything we strive to be,” Hill said. “So we’re just grateful, thankful, ecstatic to name Erik Spoelstra as the next US men’s national team’s coach.”
