Started from the bottom, now we here! Erik Spoelstra famously started off his career at the Miami Heat as a video coordinator in 1997 and 26 years later the franchise has awarded the championship winning coach with the biggest contract for a coach in North American sports history. Last week, Coach Spo inked a record breaking eight-year $120 million extension with the South Beach team known for their grit, winning pedigree, and "Heat" culture.
Erik Spoelstra has won two championships with the Miami Heat and led to the team to four NBA Finals appearances. The Filipino-American coach was recently in Manila during the FIBA World Cup and is a frontrunner to coach Team USA in the future. Congratulations to Erik Spoelstra!
February is considered midseason for the NBA season and also the mark of All-Star Weekend. Usually done over a U.S. holiday weekend, the event brings all the brightest stars in basketball and entertainment. The 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend in Cleveland consisted of 3-days full of basketball from the Rising Stars Challenge to the Skills Challenge, and then the All-Star Game. Fil-Ams Jalen Green and Erik Spoelstra participated in events over the weekend while Fil-Aussie Ylona Garcia went behind the scenes. Check out what happened over the weekend for these three Filipinos!
Jalen Green (Houston Rockets)
The Rookie Shooting Guard had a busy weekend participating in the Rising Stars Challenge and Slam Dunk Contest. The Rising Stars Challenged showcase the up and coming young players in the League along with four of the top G-League Ignite players. With Jalen's history with the G-League Ignite, it was nice of the NBA to include them in this new format. Although Jalen's team lost by a point and free throw, he made sure to put up a clinic. He scored 20 points, scoring four 3-pointers, 2 steals, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot. You could also say Jalen was practicing for the Slam Dunk Contest the next day as he put up a massive dunk during the game. Find all the highlights below!
The Slam Dunk Contest didn't go quite as plan, but he got his dunks up. Before one of his dunks, he did give Isaiah Thomas an NFT. See what he did and how it scored.
Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat):
The Coach for Team Durant made rounds on social media over the weekend not only because he was the the coach for Team Durant, but also because of the family moment he shared on the court. The caption, "Bigger than Basketball" summed up what All-Star Weekend has turned in to.
It was family affair not only for players and coaches' families, but also for the NBA family celebrating the 75th anniversary. The League also has worked towards giving back more to communities during these events. The All-Star game raised $750, 000 for two charities.
The Fil-Aussie singer took us behind the scenes of her time at All-Star Weekend. She sat courtside enjoying the activities while also chatting it up with former Lakers James Worthy and Dallas superstar Dirk Nowitzki back stage. She got some shooting lessons from the one-leg fade away shooter himself and wouldn't we all love to learn from the best. If singing doesn't work out, Ylona could sideline report and be the next Cassidy Hubbarth.
Cover Photo Credit: Houston Rocket Twitter
