“People Are Very Quick to Label Women Gold Diggers” — Why Did Erik Spoelstra and Nikki Sapp Divorce?
"In the end, no one really knows what happened."
Published Nov. 11 2025, 1:28 p.m. ET
Famed NBA coach and current president of the Miami Heat, Pat Riley, stepped down as the club's head coach in 2008. In the same year, he hand-picked Erik Spoelstra to be his successor, and it didn't take long for the decision to culminate in a pair of titles for the Florida basketball club.
The Heat bested the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games for the 2011-2012 season. This success was repeated in 2012-2013 against the San Antonio Spurs, where Spoelstra helped lead the team to another victory: this time in 7 games against the Texas squad.
Spoelstra didn't just make headlines for his accolades on the hardwood, however. In 2023, he and his partner, former Heat dancer Nikki Spoelstra, divorced.
Erik and Nikki Spoelstra divorced in 2023.
The pair were married for seven years before ultimately calling it quits. Their joint statement highlighted that the two were committed to amicably raising their three children. Santiago, Dante, and Ruby were respectively 5, 3, and 1 at the time of the couple's split.
"We have made the difficult yet amicable decision to jointly file to formally end our marriage. We are both grateful for our relationship and remain fully committed to co-parenting our children and continuing to make them our shared priority. We appreciate everyone’s support as we move to the next stage of our lives and thank you for respecting our family’s privacy," the public notice read.
The Miami Herald noted the divorce papers cited irreconcilable differences as the cause for the dissolution of their marriage.
Erik Spoelstra's Miami home burned down.
There was concern for the Heat coach's family after footage of his house fire made the rounds on social media. NBA Central posted a clip on X of Erik looking at the damage done to his home. Thankfully, no one was injured in the blaze, and other homes in the area weren't affected either.
USA Today reported on Nov. 6, 2025, that Spoelstra was on the road with his team when the fire happened, which was called in at around 4:36 a.m., according to Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue authorities.
Furthermore, the outlet wrote that the cause behind the fire wasn't immediately discovered.
Additional footage from the website, along with other videos on social media, shows that the coach's house is largely destroyed. Total Traffic Miami provided an aerial view of the aftermath at 7:18 a.m., hours after the fire was first reported.
In the clip, smoke can be seen wafting from the house's remains. "Crews battling a house fire since 4 a.m. at a SW Miami-Dade home believed to be registered to Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. The house is destroyed, we hope everyone is OK," the account penned.
In October of 2025, Spoelstra was named the U.S. Basketball team's head coach. As of this writing, he's the longest-running tenured coach in the league, but this season has proven to be an uphill battle for the hardwood strategist. Spoelstra's currently in his 18th season as the Heat's coach. The 2025-2026 season has seen his squad lose Tyler Herro to an injury.
Moreover, Terry Rozier was arrested as part of the league's gambling scandals that are still being investigated. The Heat ball club issued a statement after Spoelstra's house fire: "We are grateful to learn that nobody was harmed in the fire at coach Spoelstra's residence this morning. Our thoughts, prayers, and assistance are with Spo and his family during this time."
Nikki Sapp Spoelstra responds to trolls.
In March of 2025, Nikki Sapp (formerly Nikki Spoelstra) commented on accusations of her being a gold digger from social media users. Spoelstra ended up signing a $120 million contract extension with the Heat weeks after their separation, The Daily Mail wrote.
"People are very quick to label women gold diggers. Like: 'Oh, if she is with a successful person, she must be in it for the money. Do you really think that's all a husband brings to the table? In the end, no one really knows what happened," Nikki said in an interview with The Miami Herald.
Some have speculated that Spoelstra worked with Heat management to postpone his contract extension until after his divorce proceedings were complete. This was to intentionally keep his ex from laying a claim to any of the money he acquired as part of the deal, fans argued.