Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy is currently in Manila to host several clinics for professional and amateur Filipino basketball players.
The 51-year-old Handy, who will be in the Philippines until next week, is looking forward to sharing his knowledge with the local basketball community. At a press conference on Monday, he shared how much he admires the Filipinos' passion for the game despite the lack in height.
“Listen, man, every Filipino I’ve known on the basketball court, they have a lot of heart. That’s one thing that’s embedded in their culture. So size doesn’t really matter. Filipinos have always had skill, speed, and, again, just fearlessness. So, that part, for me, size is just a physical thing. There are other parts like how you approach the game, what is inside the ticker, every Filipino has that inside of them, and I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon.”
And because of that, Handy believes it's "just a matter of time" before a Filipino breaks into the NBA.
“I think that is part of the game, the evolution of it. Again, we talk about the Filipino culture in basketball, it’s just a matter of time. So you can expect that in the coming years. The culture here and the way the game has changed over the years. Athletes are growing and studying the game, it’ll just be a matter of time,” he said.
Handy is expected to hold private sessions with UAAP teams La Salle and University of the Philippines and PBA team Converge.
He is a three-time NBA champion assistant coach after winning rings with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, Toronto Raptors in 2019, and the Lakers in 2020.
