Fil-Am Erik Spoelstra - New Miami Heat Head Coach
By: Lester Cavestany of filipinovoices.com 37-year old Erik Spoelstra is making history with the Miami Heat. Not only is he the first Filipino to become a head coach of an NBA team, he is also the youngest head coach in NBA history. Soon-to-be Hall of fame coach Pat Riley made this announcement on Monday the 28th of April to the delight of Miami Heat players and fans. Erik Spoelstra is the son of former NBA executive Jon Spoelstra and Filipina Mom, Elisa (not Fe) Celino. He says he is of Dutch-Irish-Filipino descent. He joined the Heat in 1995 after four years of playing for the University of Portland and two years of playing and coaching for a professional team in Germany. He started out with the Miami Heat as a video coordinator. Riley coached the heat that same year and kept Spoelstra in his staff. Since then, Riley has enjoyed working with him. Spoelstra fans are proud of the fact that when the Miami Heat clinched their first championship ring in 2006, Riley’s first celebratory hu...