Heat’s Erik Spoelstra hosting inaugural 5K for good cause: ‘It will be a really impactful day’
Between three games in four nights, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra will spend a few hours making an impact off the basketball court.
With the Heat hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night and then traveling to take on the Orlando Magic on Saturday night, Spoelstra will make the quick turnaround to host the inaugural “Coach Spo’s 5K” benefiting Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and the Miami Heat Charitable Fund on Sunday at 7:30 a.m. Spoelstra’s busy stretch continues when the Heat hosts the Brooklyn Nets on Monday for its third game in four nights.
“We’re going to have a festive day,” Spoelstra said, looking ahead at Sunday’s event. “It will be a day of bringing a community together to have fun, built around a healthy activity. You can walk, you can run, you can jog, you can participate or you can just celebrate. But it will be a fun morning, and all the proceeds will go to the Miami [Nicklaus] Children’s Hospital.”
The race, just days before Christmas, will begin and end at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami. According to the event’s registration page, the race will include appearances by “coach Spo, Heat legends, Heat coaching staff, Burnie the mascot, Santa Clause himself, and other surprise appearances.”
The cause of this race is personal for Spoelstra, whose oldest son is a cancer survivor who received treatment at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in 2022. Spoelstra’s 6-year-old son, Santiago, went through and has since recovered from treatments for Burkitt lymphoma.
“This is something that I’ve wanted to do for a couple years,” Spoelstra said. “It’s dear to our heart, the cause — our family. And the Miami Heat [Charitable Fund] has been tremendous with this. The staff and people that work at the Miami [Nicklaus] Children’s Hospital, they’re our angels — angels from above — and I can’t recommend it enough for people to go visit and just see what they’re about and see what kind of miracles are happening there. You can go there and just offer encouragement. Donations are awesome, as well.”
Details about the event, and instructions on how to donate or register to take part in the race can be found at runsignup.com/Race/FL/Miami/CoachSpo5K. Registration closes Sunday at 7 a.m., with all proceeds benefiting Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and the Miami Heat Charitable Fund.
“I think it will be a really impactful day for people’s spirits and their hearts,” Spoelstra said. “At this time of the year, I think we can all use a little bit of that and more importantly give a lot of that to people who need it.”
HALL OF FAME WATCH
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced Thursday the list of eligible candidates for the Class of 2025, featuring a few with ties to the Heat.
Candidates for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025 include current Heat owner Micky Arison, former Heat center Amar’e Stoudemire, former Heat forward Shawn Marion, and former player on the WNBA’s now-defunct Miami Sol and current Heat senior director of team development Ruth Riley Hunter. In addition, current Miami Hurricanes men’s basketball coach Jim Larranaga is among the nominees for the 2025 class.
Arison, Stoudemire and Hunter are first-time nominees.
“It’s about time for Micky and what he’s been able to bring here to South Florida, where this whole region has been able to rally around a basketball team and ultimately start to become a basketball town where it wasn’t before,” Spoelstra said. “He’s made some bold moves. The first one, obviously, hiring Pat [Riley]. But he’s just been such an incredible steadying influence on the entire organization.”
The finalists for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025 will be announced on Feb. 14 during NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco.
The Class of 2025 will then be unveiled on April 5 during the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio.
Among those already enshrined into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame with careers that included time with the Heat are Dwyane Wade, Tim Hardaway, Chris Bosh, Ray Allen, Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O’Neal, Gary Payton and Pat Riley. Former Heat assistant coach Bob McAdoo is also in the Hall of Fame.
This story was originally published December 20, 2024 at 9:32 AM.
