The Fix
Coach Spo meets P-Noy: What did they talk about?
President Benigno Simeon Aquino III receives National Basketball Association (NBA) Miami Heat Head Coach Eric Celino Spoelstra during the Courtesy Call at the Music Room, Malacañan Palace Wednesday August 03, 2011. (Photo by: Rolando Mailo / Malacañang Photo Bureau / PCOO).
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra made a courtesy call to President Benigno Aquino III this morning as part of his work as one of the NBA’s official ambassadors to the Philippines. The Filipino-American Spoelstra traces his roots to San Pablo City in Laguna, and has traveled back to the country in each of the last three summers.
After Coach Spo presented P-Noy a t-shirt from NBA FIT, the two gentlemen went behind closed doors for some 30 minutes for a quick meeting. While details of their chat haven’t been made available, we could only hazard a couple of guesses:
- They compared notes on the respective “James” basketball superstars in their lives — controversial forward LeBron James, whom Spoelstra coaches for the Miami Heat, and James Yap, Aquino’s soon to be ex-brother-in-law.
- Dating tips. Both men are among the most eligible Filipino bachelors, and neither is getting any younger; P-Noy turned 51 this year, while Spoelstra will turn 41 in November.
