‘Proud Filipino’ Spoelstra thrilled to see heritage honored in NBA

From Miami to the Philippines.
Spo kicked off the morning and Filipino Heritage Week on a video press conference with Filipino media. PHOTO FROM MIAMI HEAT’s Twitter account

Fil-American Erik Spoelstra can still vividly remember one of his first trips to the Philippines seven years ago.

Spoelstra, a two-time NBA champion as head coach of the Miami Heat, said back then, the league was just starting to make its presence in the Philippines felt through its NBA Fit and Jr. NBA programs.

Times have changed and those small steps led to bigger events being held in the Philippines, where love for basketball is felt in every nook and cranny.

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This week, the NBA will be holding its first ever Filipino Heritage Week as a way to honor the Filipino culture and the Philippines’ unwavering love for hoops.

Spoelstra, whose mother Elisa Celino hails from San Pablo, Laguna, couldn’t hide his excitement seeing how far the NBA has come in recognizing millions of Filipinos around the world.

“It’s pretty amazing isn’t it. You think about how much ground and how many things have changed in the NBA but to be able to recognize a night like this is pretty special,” Spoelstra told a select group of Filipino media Tuesday night in a Cisco telepresence conference call at SM Aura Office Tower at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

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“I think about our first trip to the Philippines seven, eight years ago with the NBA. [I remember] even the NBA offices over there were smaller. The vision hadn’t been really put together yet about how it could grow over there with the camps and Jr. NBA and all the initiatives, and players hadn’t really gone over there that many times at that point,” he recalled.

“But then now, I love looking at the list in the summer of which players are going over there, which guys are going over on tour and what camps are going on. It’s really cool to see and to be able to honor a night in the NBA.”

The Heat and the Golden State Warriors will host Filipino Heritage Nights beginning on Thursday with the Heat taking on the New Orleans Pelicans.

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“At first, I thought it was just going to be with us. and then I found out Golden State was involved and then I found out it was going to be honored around the NBA, I had goosebumps thinking about it,” Spoelstra said.

“Obviously, my heritage is really important to me and my family and I’m proud to be Filipino. But when it’s recognized in the NBA it’s such a special thing.”

Heat guard Goran Dragic also expressed his delight with the NBA’s popularity in a global sense.

Goran Dragic also sat down with Filipino media this morning before practice. PHOTO FROM MIAMI HEAT’s Twitter account

“First of all, that’s awesome to have fans all over the world. I know in the Philippines basketball is the number one sport. I think it’s great to see different cultures. I know Spo is from [the Philippines], Clarkson, then of course, I know Manny Pacquiao like everybody,” said Dragic, who also spoke with the Filipino media in a video call.

The 30-year-old guard, who is a big part of the Heat’s resurgence this season, has never been to the Philippines but said he would love to visit the country in the future.

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It’s been over four years since Spoelstra was in town but he said he has plans to return soon.

“There’s definitely been talk about it for the last couple of years. It’s definitely something we want to do.”