He may be born and raised in the United States but it’s cool to know how Miami Heat’s head coach flips his emotional side each time he visits the Philippines. The Heat may have missed the championship title for the recent conference but Erik Spoelstra will always be a Filipino pride.
He is the first Filipino-American who became head coach of an NBA team. Landing a career in the NBA was never far from Erik or Coach Spo’s path as he is the son of Jon Spoelstra, an NBA executive who was part of Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets and New Jersey Nets.
This was quoted from an interview posted in his website, www.ericspoelstra.com : “I was born and raised in the US, and even though I visited the Philippines when I was a kid, I’ve always wanted a stronger connection with the culture and my family living there. The trips have given me an opportunity to combine the three great passions of my life, which are family, basketball, and heritage.”
Elisa Celino, Coach Spo’s mother, is from San Pablo, Laguna. Coach Spo is set to return to the Philippines this August for the fitness program for the youth as part of the NBA Cares Program.
No matter how far Erik Spoelstra had reached, it’s nice to know that he’s still one of us. He still carries the heart of a Filipino — a hardworking and a passionate one.
