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4.28.2008

spoelstra steps up as first asian american nba head coach

Big basketball news... After an extremely rocky season, Pat Riley resigned today as head coach of the Miami Heat, and will be replaced 37-year-old Erik Spoelstra: Riley steps down as Heat coach, will be replaced by assistant Spoelstra.

Not only does that make Spoelstra's the NBA's youngest current coach, it makes him the first Asian American coach in the NBA. Ever. Spoelstra, who has spent 13 years on the Heat coaching staff, is Filipino American. And now, he's got his work cut out for him.

While Riley's 1,210 career regular-season victories places him among the best coaches in NBA history, he finished the season with the NBA's poorest record (15-67)—easily the worst of his 25-year-old career. Riley will stay on as team president, but it's definitely time to get some fresh blood in there.