MIAMI (AP) — New York guard Jalen Brunson has at least two young fans in Miami. Specifically, they're the sons of Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
And that ... well, that wouldn't have been permitted a couple decades ago.
So much for that venomous, fight-filled Heat-Knicks rivalry. Spoelstra spoke with great admiration for Brunson and fellow Knicks forward Josh Hart when he was part of the coaching staff for USA Basketball at the 2023 World Cup in Manila — Brunson and Hart were on that team — and the ties still bind, so much so that Brunson was among those who texted Spoelstra to check on him and his family after their home burned down earlier this month.
“I’ve mentioned it to him and I’ve mentioned it to other people," Spoelstra said Monday when asked about Brunson before Miami's home game against New York. "I just really dislike myself and I can’t look at myself in the mirror for how much I, you know, grew to like him.”
Let's be very clear: Spoelstra was largely kidding when he said that.
The Heat and Knicks played in four consecutive postseasons from 1997 through 2000, those years coming not long after Pat Riley left New York and took over as coach and president in Miami. They also met in the 2012 and 2023 postseasons after Spoelstra became coach, with Miami winning both of those matchups.
Spoelstra will coach the U.S. at the 2027 World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, meaning it is a real possibility that he could wind up coaching Brunson again in the coming years.
“He texted me the other day," Spoelstra said, referring to the period after the fire. "He’s got such a great heart, just to check on me and the family. I told him that my two sons are Jalen Brunson fans, but I told them it’s not allowed in my house.”
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Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra gestures during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers Monday, Nov. 10, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
New York Knicks' Jalen Brunson (11) looks to pass during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
