The 51-year-old has seen what many before him did about Filipinos basketball culture: the energy and passion.
Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy is no longer a stranger to Philippine basketball culture.
After all, he grew up in a Filipino community in California.
The 51-year-old has seen what many before him did about the Filipinos when it comes to basketball: the energy and passion.
But he heard more about it from legendary PBA import in Sean Chambers, who won a Grand Slam with the Alaska Aces in the early 90s.
According to the three-time NBA champion assistant coach, Chambers only had praises for the basketball culture in the Philippines where he played under another legendary coach in Tim Cone.
“Sean Chambers has been a friend of mine for years. He was a legend down here and he was always coming to the Philippines,” he said. “And he spoke highly about the league, the competition, in particular the fans and how much they love the game.”
That’s why he didn’t seem surprised when he visited the Philippines and witnessed some PBA action on Wednesday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
“It’s been a long time coming. It’s been a conversation we’ve had for a long time, about me coming to the Philippines,” he said.
Handy is in town to help the Converge FiberXers in their preparation for the regular season.
On Wednesday, he was seen watching the FiberXers drill 18 three-pointers on the way to a 109-84 drubbing of TNT Tropang Giga in the PBA On Tour.
(GM)