Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra's Wife Nikki Announces Son's Cancer Is in Remission

Nikki Sapp Spoelstra, the wife of Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, announced Friday on Instagram that their son Santiago's cancer is in remission:

"Yesterday, our big boy got to ring the bell in the cancer wing at Nicklaus [Children's Hospital], and the gratitude I feel is overwhelming. REMISSION.

"My family and I are incredibly grateful to his pediatricians, the surgeons, the doctors, the nurses, the whole Child Life Team, and all of the staff at Nicklaus who took care of our boy... but also, our family. There were many tears but these special individuals all made sure that there were plenty of smiles and all the love and support to go around. There really aren’t enough words. Simply... THANK YOU 🤍"

Santiago was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma, a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, after undergoing an unexpected intestinal surgery the day after his fourth birthday, Nikki wrote in the post.

Santiago underwent months of chemotherapy before finally ringing the bell at Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami.

Spoelstra sat out a game in March after it was reported that one of his sons was undergoing a medical procedure, but neither the longtime head coach nor the Heat provided further details.

Spoelstra and Nikki currently have two sons—Santiago and Dante. Nikki announced last month that they have a third child, a girl, on the way.

Spoelstra has been head coach of the Heat since 2008. In his 15 seasons at the helm, he is 660-453 and has led the franchise to two NBA titles and five Eastern Conference championships.