Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy has recently been involved in swirling rumors of him potentially joining the new regime under head coach Steve Nash in the Brooklyn Nets. He himself has put an end to the talks of relocating to New York and reaffirmed his commitment to the Lakers organization.

“I am a Los Angeles Laker,” he said. “What's next for me is to wait for Frank Vogel to pick up the phone and text me or call me and give me what my next directives are. I'm just going to sit back and try to enjoy this championship we earned and, you know, decompress a little bit.”

“We work so hard that people think we never take time off and I, myself, have had to learn how to decompress and step away from the game, to where I can stay mentally and physically sharp,” he continued.

Handy has long been a trusted trainer of Lakers star Lebron James and is also responsible for training the league’s other marquee players. He worked with the four-time MVP during his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2014 to 2018 which resulted in a championship crown in 2016 along with multiple trips to the NBA Finals.

After James left Cleveland, Handy then moved to the Toronto Raptors and became a part of their 2018-2019 NBA championship squad. The long-time assistant coach eventually came full circle in his coaching career when he returned to the Purple and Gold in 2019, the same organization where he started as a development trainer back in 2011.

With Handy staying put in Los Angeles, the Lakers are all in to make another successful championship run and defend their title for the coming 2020-2021 NBA season.