The Miami Heat are already off to a rough start in the 2025–26 season, but now head coach Erik Spoelstra is dealing with a personal blow of his own. Unfortunately, not all NBA fans showed compassion for his situation.
Early Thursday morning, Spoelstra’s house in Coral Gables, Florida, went up in flames. A fire tore through the property, and part of the main structure reportedly collapsed. Drone footage showed the damage — a five-bedroom, six-bathroom home now just a burned-out frame.
Thankfully, no one was hurt. But instead of sympathy, some fans decided to make jokes online.
Erik Spoelstra was spotted outside his home as fire crews battled the flames.
No injuries have been reported, and the fire did not spread to other residences.
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 6, 2025
One fan wrote, “How are you the coach of the Miami Heat but can’t handle the heat? You could have helped, even if just a little!”
Another said, “Why are we covering this so much it’s just a house.”
And someone else added, “Taking Miami heat to a whole new level.”
Spoelstra reportedly showed up at the scene right after flying back from Denver, where Miami had just fallen 122–112 to the Nuggets. The Heat are sitting at 4–4, ninth in the East, trying to get things going. And now, their coach is dealing with something that would knock most people off balance.
Still, Spoelstra isn’t one for excuses. He’s expected to be back on the sidelines less than 24 hours later as Miami hosts the Charlotte Hornets at the Kaseya Center for their NBA Cup opener.
“Built Different”: NBA Fans Show Admiration for Erik Spoelstra
Despite losing his house, Spoelstra isn’t backing down. A lot of fans online couldn’t help but tip their caps to the veteran coach’s mindset.
One fan wrote, “These guy is the definition of ‘Built Different’.”
These guy is the definition of “Built Different”.
— SouthFloridaSportsGuy33 (@SoFlSportsGuy33) November 6, 2025
Another said, “He the Kobe of coaches. Bro just loves to compete.”
And a third added, “Made of absolute steel man.”
Spoelstra’s been through the highs and lows of basketball — championship runs, rebuilds, injuries, and now a literal house fire. But through it all, he’s kept that same calm, steady presence. It’s hard not to respect that kind of toughness.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
