Family of NBA coach Erik Spoelstra in Laguna said that they are still proud of him despite the loss of his team Miami Heat to Dallas Mavericks in the NBA finals.
According to his family, they expressed their happiness for recognizing their relative as the first Asian who was given the chance to coach in the NBA.
In an interview with his uncle Tony Celino, he said that their whole family is very happy to the achievement of Erik and knowing that it has brought honor to the country is really a big thing despite their loss in the finals.
Other says that Erik Spoelstra really showed a good performance in handling his team, Miami Heat so there is nothing to be regret of.
For the record, Erick Spoelstra is the first ever Filipino American to coach an NBA team and what made it more special is that it has brought the team to the finals.
Before Erik Spoelstra became a coach, his first position in the Miami Heat is a video coordinator back in the year 1995. He got his two years experience as a coach when he went to Germany and handled the team Tus Herten in the German Professional League and afterwards became the coach at the University of Portland.
Erick’s mother is a Filipina from San Pablo City while his father Jon Spoelstra is an American. His father is a former NBA executive that became part of the teams Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets and New Jersey Nets.
This coming August of 2011, Erick Spoelstra is expected to visit in the country to extend his help to the youth by holding a fitness activity as part of the NBA Cares program.