He integral in the Miami Heat’s championship run with the “Big 3”
Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra credits Fizdale for his role in Miami’s back-to-back NBA championships in 2012 and 2013. Fizdale served as a top assistant in the Heat’s four consecutive NBA Finals appearances.
“Fiz made me a better coach,” Spoelstra said back in May. “He thought the game differently than I did, from a different lens and I enjoyed coming to work every single day getting his perspective, which often made me look at things differently.”
The coaches’ friendship dates back to their days working in the Heat video room, where Spoelstra also started his ascension up the coaching ladder.
“If you’re going to work in the video room for the Miami Heat, for Pat Riley, you’re going to log some long hours,” Spoelstra said. “(Fizdale) didn’t blink. That scared people off over the years. People that want to get into this business and you start in the video room, we’ve had people drop off like flies, like ‘This is not really what I signed up for.’ ”
