Phil Handy doesn’t look like a guy who’s won three NBA titles in five years with three different teams. He looks like a guy who just stepped off a plane from a 14-hour flight and is ready to head straight to a high school gym to work on someone's left-handed layup. Honestly, that’s exactly who he is.
The Phil Handy coaching career is a weird, winding, and incredibly successful anomaly in a league where coaches usually get recycled like old soda cans. He didn't come up through the typical Ivy League data-crunching route or as a former All-Star point guard. He was a guy who played at Hawaii, went undrafted, and then spent years playing in places like Manchester, Melbourne, and Israel. He learned the game from the ground up, literally traveling the globe to keep a paycheck in his pocket.
From the "94 Feet of Game" Grind to Kobe Bryant
You've probably heard of his training business, 94 Feet of Game. Before he was sitting next to LeBron James or Frank Vogel, Handy was a private trainer in Northern California. This wasn't some flashy Instagram-era setup. He was driving 500 miles a day, hitting gyms at 5:00 AM, and working with anyone who wanted to get better.
It was during this time that he caught the eye of the Los Angeles Lakers. Specifically, Mike Brown.
In 2011, Handy joined the Lakers as a player development coach. This was a "prove it" moment. You’re in a room with Kobe Bryant—a man who famously didn't suffer fools—and you have to show you actually know what you're talking about. Handy didn't just survive; he thrived. He became one of the few people Kobe truly trusted with his craft. That’s sort of the Phil Handy secret sauce: he speaks the language of the elite without the ego.
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The 2016-2020 Golden Run
If you want to see how impactful the Phil Handy coaching career really became, just look at the middle of the last decade. It’s a run that honestly sounds fake when you say it out loud.
Handy went to six consecutive NBA Finals. Six.
- He was with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2013 to 2018. He was there for the 1-3 comeback against the Warriors in 2016.
- He moved to the Toronto Raptors for the 2018-2019 season. They won it all immediately.
- He went back to the Lakers in 2019. They won the 2020 Bubble championship.
People think titles are just about having LeBron James or Kawhi Leonard. Sure, that helps. But these superstars seek out Handy because he specializes in "the work." When Kyrie Irving was becoming the most skilled guard in the world, Handy was the one in the lab with him, obsessing over footwork and balance.
Handy has often said that his favorite title was the 2016 one in Cleveland. Not just because it was his first, but because he’s from Oakland. Beating the Warriors on their home floor after being down three games to one? That’s movie stuff. He actually gave a legendary, profanity-laced speech to the Cavs after Game 2 of that series that many players credit for turning their mindset around.
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What Most People Get Wrong About Development
There’s this misconception that player development is just "getting shots up." Handy hates that. For him, it’s about rhythm, footwork, and balance. He treats basketball like a science but explains it like a teammate.
He isn't just a "skills trainer." He’s a relationship builder. When he talks about Kyrie Irving, he doesn't call him a project—he calls him family. He spent years building a bond with LeBron James, to the point where LeBron basically treats him as an extension of his own basketball brain.
Recently, the Phil Handy coaching career took another turn. After years with the Lakers under various regimes—from Vogel to Ham—he found himself on the move again. As of 2025, he’s landed with the Dallas Mavericks, joining Jason Kidd’s staff. It’s a fascinating move. You’ve got Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving (reunited with Handy) in a system that desperately needs that refined, championship-level developmental edge.
Why He Isn’t a Head Coach Yet (and Does it Matter?)
People ask this every single year: "Why isn't Phil Handy a head coach?"
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The NBA is a weird place. Sometimes the "best" assistant coaches are so good at their specific niche that teams are scared to move them out of it. Handy is a specialist. He is the guy you hire when you want your stars to stay sharp and your young players to actually grow. He’s interviewed for several top jobs, but he’s never been the "conventional" choice.
Does it matter? Probably not to him. He’s already built a legacy that most head coaches would trade their left arm for. Three rings, six straight Finals, and the respect of every Hall of Famer from the last twenty years.
How to Apply the Phil Handy Method
If you're a coach or even just a fan trying to understand the game better, here is what you can actually learn from how Handy approaches his work:
- Master the Basics: He doesn't start with flashy crossovers. He starts with where your feet are. If your balance is off, the shot is off.
- The "Why" Matters: He never tells a player to do a drill just because. He explains exactly how that move works in a game situation.
- Consistency is Everything: The 14-hour days he spent in 2005 are the same 14-hour days he spends now.
- Relationship First: You can't coach someone you don't know. He spends as much time talking to guys about life as he does about basketball.
The Phil Handy coaching career is a testament to the "grind" actually working. It wasn't a straight line. It was a messy, global, gym-rat journey that ended with him becoming one of the most influential voices in modern basketball.
To see his methods in action, you should look into his "94 Feet of Game" app or watch his film breakdown sessions on social media. He often dissects the footwork of players like Julius Randle or Anthony Edwards, showing exactly how tiny adjustments in weight distribution lead to massive scoring outbursts. If you want to improve your own game or coaching, start by auditing your footwork—Handy’s "Rule Number One"—before you worry about your shooting form.