LeBron James leaving the Heat, according to Erik Spoelstra’s ex-wife, forced her to shorten her 2014 vacation.
Nikki Sapp, the ex-wife of Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, recently posted videos and pictures to Instagram showing her having fun on a trip to Chicago. She also revealed that the news that LeBron James was leaving the Heat forced her to shorten her first visit to the city, which was probably in 2014. That offseason, he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
For many members of the Heat organization, the 2014 offseason was a difficult one. Miami also had to deal with losing James in free agency, which added insult to injury after they were defeated by the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals that season.
Interestingly, compared to his 2010 decision to leave Cleveland, the four-time MVP’s choice was not as harshly criticized. It was obviously the appropriate option for him to make his 2014 move known through an article rather than an ESPN program. Nevertheless, the Heat organization was left reeling as James was set to leave Miami, and the Spoelstra family was obviously affected.
Pat Riley, the president of the Heat, was another person who was greatly impacted by the choice. According to a Stephen A. Smith article, the former franchise star showed the executive contempt by using a video game console during a meeting about free agency.
Riley was undoubtedly upset by James’s departure, even though the story never seemed to be verified. Over the years, there seemed to have been some enmity between the two. After a while, they moved past their differences, with Riley even going so far as to suggest that James’ return to the Cavs was the right decision.
Regarding Spoelstra, he has demonstrated once again why he is among the greatest coaches in the NBA following that catastrophic offseason. He led the Heat to the third seed in the Eastern Conference and an appearance in the conference semifinals during the 2015–16 season. How far the squad could have progressed if Chris Bosh’s blood clot problems hadn’t prevented him from leaving in the middle of the season is unknown.
A few years later, the Heat captain assisted in making Miami once again a title contender, as the team advanced to two NBA Finals and three conference finals in four seasons.