2 frontrunners revealed to replace Steve Kerr as Team USA coach

With the international coaching retirement of Steve Kerr likely incoming, two candidates have emerged as front-runners for the head coach position of Team USA. According to Marc Stein via his Substack ($), Team USA is expected to "decide between Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue."

Kerr is widely expected to retire from coaching international ball after helping lead Team USA to gold at the Paris Olympics. He began his coaching career with Team USA in 2020 as an assistant, winning a gold medal. He was then promoted to head coach and led the squad to a disappointing fourth-place finish at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Kerr did struggle with the rotation at times during the 2024 Olympics but he and his team were able to get the job done.

While America continued their gold medal dominance, the rest of the world made it extremely tough on them and Team USA is entering a new era with LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant likely having played their last games for the team.

Erik Spoelstra or Ty Lue could replace Steve Kerr

While either choice would likely be a good head coach for USA basketball going forward, Spoelstra's is probably the better option. While Ty Lue is extremely great at managing egos and getting buy-in from stars, the current Miami Heat coach has been instrumental in creating a great culture over the last decade.

Whether the US. decides to have Lue, Spoelstra or someone else coach the team in 2028, the squad will likely have to go through a complete rebrand with LeBron James and Joel Embiid off the roster in addition to Steph Curry, Kevin Durant (both will be nearing 40 in 28) and Anthony Davis (wear and tear).

This means that the new coach will likely have to establish a real tactical advantage with the country's talent probably being nearly similar to the other top basketball countries in the world.