MIAMI — For the first time since Erik Spoelstra was named coach of Team USA’s men’s basketball program, the longtime Miami Heat coach faced the man he’ll be replacing on Team USA’s bench: Steve Kerr.

Kerr was in town Wednesday night as his Golden State Warriors played Spoelstra’s Heat. Kerr reiterated how happy he was to see Spoelstra, who served on his Team USA staff during the last Olympic cycle, get his chance to lead the team.

“He was a great choice,” Kerr said before Wednesday’s game. “He’s one of the great coaches of all time. Great awareness of what FIBA is about. The difference between coaching a team for seven weeks and coaching one for nine months. All of that stuff, he’s got his finger on the pulse of it all, and he’s going to be great.”

Spoelstra noted the pair hasn’t yet had a chance to sit down and talk about the transition but plans to do so in the future. Spoelstra, 55, was also highly complimentary of his experience on Kerr’s staff over the past two summers.

“I’ve said it before, but I’m just so incredibly grateful for having that opportunity to be on his staff,” Spoelstra said. “The entire staff, we had such an amazing time. It was a life experience. It was basketball 101. We all grew from it, just from a basketball coaching development experience. It’s the same four lines and two baskets and a basketball, but it’s a different sport, that FIBA.”

Kerr and Spoelstra were part of a younger Team USA group that finished fourth at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in the Philippines. The next summer, they led a team that included LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant to a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics — a shared experience both men cherished.

“We were humbled in that first year, and the second year, I think the experiences that we had the summer before helped us for that Olympic experience,” Spoelstra said. “But I was so impressed with Steve just in terms of the way he was able to manage everything. We all know that there’s great pressure, and I think as part of his genius, he managed that beautifully. One, getting the team to handle all the expectations and then getting the team to hit the stride at just the right time.

“And then be able to handle adversity like we did against Serbia (in the semifinals at the 2024 Olympics). It was just great leadership on his part. That experience will be something I never forget. The staff, we still have a group text, we chat from time to time during the season.”

Kerr said he didn’t feel the need to offer Spoelstra specific advice on the transition because he was confident the decorated coach would handle the program seamlessly.

“I don’t need to tell him anything,” Kerr said. “Spo is an incredible coach, and he’s had a couple years now in USA Basketball with the World Cup and the Olympics, so he knows what it’s about.”