Sixers hiring assistant coach Phil Handy, a veteran with deep ties to LeBron James
Handy won titles alongside James with the Cavaliers and Lakers. He was also on head coach Nick Nurse's staff in Toronto when they won the NBA title in 2019.
The 76ers are adding a well-regarded assistant to their bench who is familiar with both LeBron James and head coach Nick Nurse.
The Sixers are hiring Phil Handy, who was with the Dallas Mavericks last season, a source confirmed. Handy is regarded as one of the elite player development coaches in the league.
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But prior to the Mavericks, Handy had stops with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2013-18), Toronto Raptors (2018-19) and Los Angeles Lakers (2019-24). In Cleveland, Handy won a championship in 2016 along with James. He stayed in Cleveland until the 2018-19 season, when he joined Nurse’s staff in Toronto, where he also won a championship with the Raptors.
The following season, Handy reunited with James in Los Angeles, where he stayed for the next five years. He was part of Frank Vogel’s staff that led the Lakers to a title in 2020 and stayed with the Lakers through multiple head coaching changes from Vogel to Darvin Ham and JJ Redick.
He joined Jason Kidd’s staff in Dallas last season before Kidd and the Mavericks mutually parted ways this offseason. Handy made his reputation in the league in part because of his player development work with Kobe Bryant.