The Internet prying into the personal affairs of public figures is nothing new in the age of social media. Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra’s ex-wife Nikki Spoelstra recently got in the crosshairs of the trolls, which prompted a sharp reaction from her. Erik and Nikki divorced last year in November.
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The divorce was confirmed two months before the Miami HC signed an eight-year, $120 million extension with the Heat. Therefore, many on social media have started making jokes about Mrs. Spoelstra missing out on a ton of money because of the timing of the divorce.
When she got a whiff of such reactions, she was filled with fury. Nikki recently took to her Instagram and posted a lengthy rant on her story addressing a comment that claimed that “she fumbled the bag”. She pointed out the misogynistic undertone in the trolling and claimed that “women can’t win” under any circumstances. As per Nikki, there is a perception that “women can’t be genuinely in love with someone who is successful. No, they’re pretending and they’re in it for the money.”
The 36-year-old further pointed out that if a woman isn’t with someone successful then people think “apparently she’s an idiot”.
She also declared that she is not going to ignore such comments anymore because she is done with tolerating mental harassment. She claimed that such online harassment has negatively affected her mental health for a long time.
In other words, she touched upon the contradictory ideals that haunt women. If a woman is with someone successful, then people call her a gold-digger. And if she isn’t with someone accomplished, then she is not bright enough to see her own good.
Her frustration is understandable considering that she had to deal with this behavior shortly after undergoing a turbulent process. As parents of three children, the process had to be emotionally exhausting for both the mother and the father. Nikki concluded her rant with the simple message, ‘Be Nicer‘.
Erik Spoelstra gets rewarded for his top-notch services
Spoelstra has been rewarded with a 8-year, $120 million extension, guaranteeing him $15 million a year. This is the biggest contract for a coach in league history when we take into account the overall monetary value. In terms of annual salary, only Greg Popovich is ahead, with $16 million per year. Pop had signed a 5-year, $80 million extension with the Spurs in the offseason last year.
Coach Spo has been at the Heat’s helm since 2008. He won two championships when LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade in 2010 to form a powerhouse in Miami. He did an amazing job of keeping his Heat competitive despite the big three disintegrating by the mid-2010s. But the huge turnaround for Miami came when Jimmy Butler joined the team and joined budding star Bam Adebayo. Despite not chasing big names, the Heat has made two Finals appearances in the last four playoffs.
