Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra hopes to join forces with Manny Pacquiao
When you’re at the helm of a team that features Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James, there isn’t much more space between you and the pinnacle of sport’s figurative totem pole. However, Erik Spoelstra still hopes to land one more superstar.
According to ESPN.com, the Miami Heat coach is in the process of completing a deal with boxing champion Manny Pacquiao to hold a number of clinics in the boxer’s home country, the Philippines, which would promote athletics and healthy living to the country’s
youth. And although there are still a few details that need to be ironed out, Spoelstra has stated that these clinics, which are expected to be held next summer, would likely be hosted in Kibawe, Bukidnon, the boxer’s hometown.
“Manny’s people actually got back to us the other day and said he was really interested in getting together to do something like this,” the head coach told ESPN.com following the Heat’s Monday afternoon shoot-around. “It’s for a good cause, and we’re really
excited about the chance to do it.”
Should the deal get completed, it wouldn’t be Spoelstra’s first trip to the Philippines either. The coach, whose mother is Filipino, has spent the last two off-seasons in the country, promoting similar clinics with other members of his coaching staff.
Furthermore, with his 2008 hiring, Spoelstra became the first Asian/Filipino-American to sit at the helm of any major American sports team. He is also a fervent fan of the boxer, whose victories both in the ring and in Filipino politics have propelled him
to an iconic level amongst his countrymen.
While they complete their clinical plans for next summer, both individuals look to continue their dominance in the foreseeable future. The Heat hope to maintain their hot start this week with upcoming games against the Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics, and Toronto
Raptors. Pacquiao, meanwhile, will face Antonio Margarito in Arlington, Texas’, Cowboy Stadium on Saturday, 13 November, as the two vie for the WBC’s (World Boxing Council’s) super welterweight belt.
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