Phil Handy is on the move again, and this one sends him from Dallas to Philadelphia.
The Mavericks assistant coach plans to leave the organization to join the Sixers as an assistant under head coach Nick Nurse, according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape. Tony Jones of The Athletic later confirmed the news.
Handy already has a long history with Nurse. He was on Nurse’s staff in Toronto when the Raptors won the championship in 2019, and now the two are set to work together again in Philadelphia.
Before his latest stop in Dallas, Handy built a résumé that stretches well beyond the NBA. The National Basketball Coaches Association notes that he played professionally with stops in the CBA, Israel, France, England, Germany, Spain, Italy and Australia.
His coaching path began with the Lakers in 2011, and he joined Cleveland a couple years later. That five-year run with the Cavaliers included the 2016 title and three seasons alongside new 76ers forward LeBron James.
Handy returned to LeBron and the Lakers in 2019 after one season in Toronto, and he was part of another championship push in 2020. He then left Los Angeles last offseason to join Jason Kidd’s staff in Dallas.
Handy, who turns 55 next week, was expected to remain with the Mavericks under new head coach Dusty May. Instead, he’s headed back into a familiar orbit with Nurse and James.
Jones reports that Handy is highly regarded around the NBA and is seen as one of the league’s top skill development coaches.
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