Tags: Basketball
By Anna Valmero
QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA – Love for the game and good work ethic are key attributes to Filipino-American coach Erik Spoelstra’s success in basketball.
Spoelstra is proud to say that he started as a video coordinator for the Miami Heat and worked his way up to becoming team coach, replacing the legendary Pat Riley in 2008.
Prior to this, he was the assistant coach and director for scouting, helping develop game plans and skills of Miami’s players including superstar Dwyane Wade.
“The best value I learned from starting at entry level or at the bottom was great perspective for work ethic. I had a lot of time to master the job before I have to move onto the next opportunity,” says Spoelstra, the first ever NBA coach with Filipino ancestry.
He was a former player for the University of Portland, where he graduated with a communications degree in 1992.
As with any job, Coach Spo tells that “success is doing what you love and giving your best always.”
Spoelstra is in the country for the week-long National Basketball Association (NBA) Fit Program that aims to promote healthy living among Filipinos.
In promoting healthy lifestyle through sports such as basketball among young Filipino athletes, Spoelstra hopes to encourage “having fun while keeping the body fit” by exercising regularly, eating healthy and making healthy choices daily.
For his meals, Spoelstra reveals that he is heavy on protein and vegetables, and as much as possible, avoids junk food or fast food.
He added that through basketball, he learned the value of discipline and team work that helped him through life – the same values he wants to impart to athletes.
Aside from promoting a healthy lifestyle, Spoelstra hopes to inspire more Filipinos to step up to the challenge of the international ball game.
“Being the first Filipino-American coach, maybe the story will inspire somebody else. The passion for the sport here is amazing and it’s like no other place in the world,” he adds.
He says it’s not impossible for Filipino athletes to join the NBA because of the Filipino’s natural fondness for the sport.
“It is just a matter of time, the game is global and I’m rooting for the Philippines because of my heritage,” says Spoelstra, whose mother Elisa Celino is from San Pablo, Laguna.
Asked if Miami Heat is ready to win the championships this year with marquee players Chris Bosh and LeBron James joining Wade, Coach Spo says: “It starts with being physically fit first and making sure that our bodies are ready fit enough for the 82 games each season.”
“We work every single day and we expect the players to be the best conditioned team in the NBA.”
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