There were plenty of reasons why Filipinos tuned in to the 2023-24 NBA SoFi Play-In Tournament in the past few days.
One, of course, was that they were rooting for their favorite team. There's still a lot of love after all for the Los Angeles Lakers, the Golden State Warriors, the Miami Heat, and even the Chicago Bulls.
Two, they were watching who their favorite team would end up against in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
And three, with Jordan Clarkson and the Utah Jazz as well as Jalen Green and the Houston Rockets eliminated, there were still a couple Filipinos could rally behind.
That was Sacramento Kings player development coach Jimmy Alapag. And of course, Miami Heat's Filipino-American head tactician Erik Spoelstra.
The Kings managed to get their revenge against the Golden State Warriors, but ultimately fell at the final hurdle against the New Orleans Pelicans.
On the other hand, the Heat snatched the last playoff spot in the East, but is at a 0-1 disadvantage against their perennial postseason foes--the Boston Celtics.
[ALSO READ: 'Play-In games are fun': Erik Spoelstra speaks on Miami Heat's opportunity to reach NBA Playoffs]
It got people thinking, is it more likely for Filipinos to break into the NBA via the sidelines rather than through the Rookie Draft?
Derek Fisher, a five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and a former coach for the New York Knicks weighed in.
"I don't know if one will come before the other necessarily," he told the media during the NBA Jr. Philippines coaches' clinic. "There are probably more coaches that have an opportunity to continue to grow today than maybe out of how many young players that are gonna be NBA-capable in the next few years."
Fisher shared his knowledge with several coaches in a three-hour session along with Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas' Jong Uichico--a nine-time PBA champion--along with 11-time PBA champion Norman Black.
While Fisher acknowledged that NBA teams are continuously scouting all over the world for players, it's a different ball game when it comes to coaches. There's much more limited spots after all.
"I think that world is a smaller fraternity, so to speak," he said. "And so finding ways to build relationships with other coaches--either with the pro grame or the college game--those are really important aspects."
"Coaches are busy but they love to share. Obviously, even approaching coaches is not an easy thing to do. But reaching out to coaches and letting them know that you're following them, supporting their school or team, keeping them up to date on the things you're working on. You never know when it's gonna reach their desk at the right time."
It certainly worked for Alapag, who got in touch with Sacramento's general manager Vlade Divac when they were on the FIBA Players Commission together. It started with two appearances in the Summer League, a stint with the Stockton Kings as an assistant coach in the G-League, before he rose up as the Sacramento Kings' player development coach in the NBA.
As for Spoelstra, his Filipino roots allowed other tacticians in the Philippines to dip their toes into the action. This was most evident when he invited the PBA's winningest coach Tim Cone to be an assistant coach during the Summer League.
That certainly helped Cone when he stepped up as the coach for Gilas Pilipinas.
Will there be a full-blooded Filipino at the NBA bench in the future? It's certainly a dream. And with the way coaches continue to spread the knowledge, it could only be a matter of time.
