Phil Handy was a regular on the sideline in six consecutive NBA Finals from 2015-2021. Handy, a longtime NBA assistant who previously played professional basketball overseas, has gotten him through it all.
First, he served as an assistant cleveland cavaliers It won everything in 2016. Then he toronto raptors When he won the title in 2019, and since then. lakers He played for five seasons, including the 2020 championship. Throughout his tenure, he was a three-time NBA champion, worked closely with stars such as LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Anthony Davis, and established himself as one of the league's most highly regarded assistant coaches. Established.
Now, in a major turning point, the 53-year-old will join the team. unparalleleda new 3-on-3 professional women's basketball league co-founded by Nafeesa Collier and Brianna Stewart.
At Unrivaled, Handy will lead the Mist Club, which will feature players like Jewell Lloyd (Seattle Storm), Dijonai Carrington (Connecticut Sun), Brianna Stewart (New York Liberty), and Courtney Vandersloot (New York Liberty). ), will coach Rikea Jackson (Los Angeles). Sparks), Aaliyah Edwards (Washington Mystics). He joins WNBA legend and former Chicago Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon and four other coaches with extensive backgrounds in player development.
The league, which begins Jan. 17 in Miami on TNT, is groundbreaking in many ways, including its financial model.
Unrivaled's total payroll exceeds $8 million. There are currently 33 players scheduled to participate, with an average annual salary currently around $242,000. By comparison, the WNBA's average annual salary is less than half that amount, even though the WNBA season is more than twice as long. In fact, Unrivaled's average annual salary is higher than the 2024 WNBA supermax of $241,984. The $8 million figure does not take into account any stock or revenue sharing that would be added to a player's salary.
Unrivaled is a big change from years of coaching in the NBA. For one thing, he'll be coaching 3-on-3. Needless to say, he ends up mentoring women. This will also be the first time in his career that he will serve as a head coach.
How Phil Handy arrived at Unrivaled
Handy's NBA coaching career began in 2011 when he took a player development position with the Lakers, ending his career in 2024 as he decided to take a year off from the world's most competitive basketball league. .
After making that decision, he was approached about a potential coaching opportunity by Unrivaled president Alex Buzzell, who he had known for years.
“I've been involved in women's basketball for a long time,” Handy said. “But once me and my team had the opportunity to really dive into Unrivaled and really pull back the layers of what they were trying to accomplish, we were really fascinated by the whole concept.”
As it happens, Handy has considerable experience with some of the Mist Club's upcoming players. While serving as an assistant coach with the Lakers, he did consulting work with the Storm and had the coaching opportunity to work directly with Brianna Stewart and Jewell Lloyd, who were in Seattle at the time.
Photo credit: Steph Chambers/Getty Images
“Jewel and I have always tried to pick a place in Los Angeles where she can stay for four or five days,” he said. “We've talked a lot on the phone over the years.”
Handy said one of their joint goals is to improve her efficiency. Continuing to improve her handling and shooting, allowing her to finish in the paint. ”
He's also intrigued by the rest of the roster, noting that even a veteran player like Vandersloot could use the unrivaled game as an impactful development opportunity.
“Sloat has had a great career,” Handy said. “She's a knowledgeable vet, but even vets can learn new tricks.”
Phil Handy expects collaborative coaching style at Unrivaled
Handy said he wants to follow in the footsteps of his players when it comes to personal growth. No matter what area of the game a player wants to improve, Handy wants to play a supporting role in that pursuit.
“When I start working with players, I don't try to put them in a box. I want to try to understand where they want to improve,” Handy said.
Mist's roster is notable. That includes Carrington, last year's Most Valuable Player, Stewart, the two-time MVP, and Lloyd, the WNBA's leading scorer in 2023. They also have young talent like Jackson and Edwards, both of whom are coming off effective rookie seasons. Vandersloot ranks third on the WNBA's all-time career assist list and is a two-time WNBA champion.
Brianna Stewart is the official captain of the Mist. Handy, a three-time WNBA champion who just won a title with the Liberty, will be a helpful resource when Handy hits the ground running. He said he and his players were all “moving in the same direction” and his approach to coaching has always been to collaborate.
“I’m a coach who believes in learning from athletes and working with them,” he said. “What did you experience? What do you see? What do you feel?
Despite being talented and winning numerous awards with Handy's Mist team, he feels no pressure.
“Look, I’ve been coaching in Los Angeles for the past six years,” Handy said. “There's no place where there's more pressure than being a part of the Lakers organization. The only way you feel pressure is if you're not ready. For me as a coach. [I] I'm very ready, and I'm sure the coaching staff will be ready as well. ”
So for Handy, what started as a year away from the NBA has turned into a potentially huge opportunity with a new league aimed at disrupting women's sports. Now, instead of working with LeBron James and the Lakers, he'll be working with some of the biggest stars in women's basketball.
“I always say timing is everything,” Handy says. “I'm a huge fan of the W-League and women's basketball, so this was a great opportunity for me to jump in with both feet and reinvigorate women's basketball at the highest level a little bit more.”
