Pinoy player may soon break into NBA, says Fil-Am Heat coach

With a Filipino-American coach finally breaking the barrier in the National Basketball Association, can a local player be far behind? For visiting Miami Heat mentor Erik Spoelstra, it’s very much possible. “Why not? Think big. It’s gonna happen at some point," said the soft-spoken mentor. He didn’t even go far and cited his case as the first Asian-American coach in the world’s premiere basketball league.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV Spoelstra, of course, has Filipino blood. His mother, the former Elisa Celino is from San Pablo, Laguna, while his father, Joe, worked as an NBA executive for teams such as Portland Trailblazers, Denver Nuggets, Buffalo Braves and New Jersey Nets. “I don’t think anybody would have thought five years ago that there would ever be an Asian-American head coach in any major league in America," he said. “Things can happen. I think the world is changing. It’s becoming more global," said the former University of Portland stalwart, who worked his way up to become the current coach of the Heat team that features star players Dwyane Wayde and Jermaine O’Neal. Spoelstra went back to his roots for a week-long coaching clinic as part of the US Department of States’ Sports Envoy Program. Along with Heat assistant David Fizdale and St. Francis College assistant coach and former WNBA All-Star Sue Wick, Spoelstra had been busy going from one clinic to another the past few days, but was generous enough to accommodate the special luncheon hosted by the PBA Thursday at Kamayan-Edsa.

Joining him in the affair were PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios, Powerade-Team Pilipinas manager Jose Bayani Baylon, PBA Board of Governors Robert Non, Rene Pardo, and Atty. Memerto Mondragon and coaches Yeng Guiao of Burger King, Jong Uichico of Ginebra, Tim Cone of Alaska, Leo Isaac of Barako Bull and Boyet Fernandez of Sta. Lucia. Reminded that a Filipino player by the name of Johnny Abarrientos was once considered by an NBA team, Spoelstra said it doesn’t really matter whether the first local player in the NBA is a big man, a guard or a PBA superstar. “It will just take the right timing, the right player and the right mentality," he pointed out. The 38-year-old Heat coach, who was barely three years old when he last visited the country, even mentioned the case of retired NBA superstar Damon Stoudamire. “I don’t know whether it would be a point guard, shooting guard, small forward. I don’t know. But there are small players in the NBA who made a big impact. “I grew up with one of them. In Portland, he’s an older player who just retired last year. He’s Damon Stoudamire and he had a heck of a career in the league. He’s only 5-9," said Spoelstra of the pint-sized guard who was the 1996 NBA Rookie of the Year. He remembered vividly their childhood days. “He just came up around my shoulder and we grew up together. But he kicked my butt all the time every which way it possibly could," he said, eliciting a good laugh from his curious audience. – GMANews.TV