Philip T. Handy[1] (born August 24, 1971)[2] is an American basketball coach who is the head coach for Mist BC of the Unrivaled basketball league. He previously served as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and player development trainer. He played college basketball for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, and then played professionally abroad before starting his career in coaching.

Phil Handy
Handy with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018
Mist BC
PositionHead coach
LeagueUnrivaled
Personal information
Born (1971-08-24) August 24, 1971 (age 53)
San Leandro, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight193 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolJames Logan
(Union City, California)
College
NBA draft1995: undrafted
Playing career1995–2002
PositionGuard
Coaching career2011–present
Career history
As player:
1995–1997Omaha Racers
1997SLUC Nancy Basket
1997–1998Grand Rapids Mackers
1998La Crosse Bobcats
1999–2000Manchester Giants
2000–2001Melbourne Tigers
2001–2002West Sydney Razorbacks
As coach:
20112013Los Angeles Lakers (development)
20132018Cleveland Cavaliers (assistant)
2018–2019Toronto Raptors (assistant)
20192024Los Angeles Lakers (assistant)
2025–presentMist BC
Career highlights and awards
As player:
  • BBL champion (2000)
  • CBA All-Rookie First Team (1996)

As assistant coach:

Early life

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Born in San Leandro, California, he grew up in Hayward - Union City, California.[3]

College career

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After a year of junior college,[3] Handy attended University of Hawaii from 1993 to 1995.[4] During his tenure with the Rainbows he was a WAC champion, and first Team All defense selection.[5]

Professional career

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Handy played for the Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers during the pre-season, in the Continental Basketball Association for the Omaha Racers, Grand Rapids Mackers (via dispersal draft from Omaha),[6] La Crosse Bobcats (rights traded to Fort Wayne Fury on 12 October 1998) and internationally in France (SLUC Nancy Basket), Italy, Germany, Spain,[7] Israel (Maccabi Hadera), England (Manchester Giants), and Australia (Melbourne Tigers and West Sydney Razorbacks). Never a crowd favourite Razorback fans took particular delight in chanting "You're useless Handy".

He obtained a CBA All-Rookie First Team (1995–96), and a British Basketball League championship with the Manchester Giants in the season 1999–2000.[8]

Coaching career

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Handy has served as player development coach for the Los Angeles Lakers under Mike Brown. Still under Brown, he served as assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He then moved to the Toronto Raptors as assistant for Nick Nurse.[9] He then moved back to the Lakers under Frank Vogel.[10]

Handy went to 6 consecutive NBA Finals, 4 with the Cleveland Cavaliers (20152018), 1 with the Toronto Raptors (2019), and 1 with the Los Angeles Lakers (2020) winning championships in 2016, 2019, and 2020.[11]

On November 15, 2024, Handy was announced to be one of the six new head coaches of the Unrivaled basketball league.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Philip T Handy was born on August 24, 1971 in Alameda County, California". californiabirthindex.org. California Birth Index. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  2. ^ 1998–99 Official CBA Guide and Register, page 250
  3. ^ a b "Who is Phil Handy? Fast facts about the Raptors' newest assistant coach". 13 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Phil Handy College Stats".
  5. ^ "From Kobe to LeBron and Irving, former Rainbow Handy is learning from teaching". 23 June 2016.
  6. ^ "Fact File: Phil Handy, Manchester Giants".
  7. ^ "Q A: Cavaliers Assistant Coach Phil Handy". 5 July 2016.
  8. ^ "Giants close on Conference title". Independent.co.uk. 26 March 2000. Archived from the original on 2022-05-26.
  9. ^ Amick, Sam (May 29, 2019). "A familiar foe: Meet the man who has more experience facing the Warriors in the Finals than anyone". theathletic.com. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  10. ^ Duangdao, Dan (July 14, 2019). "Lakers Coaching Rumors: Phil Handy Hired As Assistant Coach To Frank Vogel". Lakers Nation. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  11. ^ Goon, Kyle (July 9, 2021). "The NBA Finals are missing familiar face in Lakers' Phil Handy". ocregister.com. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  12. ^ Philippou, Alexa (November 15, 2024). "Unrivaled coach list includes Teresa Weatherspoon, Phil Handy". ESPN.com.
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