Heat coach Spoelstra asked to help SMART-Gilas national program

InterAKTV/Justin Gener

Filipino-American coach Erik Spoelstra of the NBA champion Miami Heat has been invited to be a consultant for the SMART-Gilas Pilipinas national program.

SMART-Gilas coach Chot Reyes relayed this to InterAKTV in a text message on Wednesday night.

“We’re inviting him. I hope he agrees,” wrote Reyes.

Spoelstra, whose mother hails from San Pablo, Laguna, is back in the country as part of an annual trip to the Philippines he has made in each of the past three years to conduct clinics and to promote the sport.

In addition to bringing the NBA’s Larry O’Brien championship trophy for a tour along with him, Spoelstra is also involved in a project with SMART Communications, which bankrolls the Gilas program. He is scheduled to speak at an executive session coaching session on Friday for officials of the company.

Spoelstra is the first Asian-American coach to win an NBA title after leading the Heat to the championship last June. He attended Game Five of the Governors’ Cup finals on Wednesday.

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