The Los Angeles Lakers have announced that assistant coach Phil Handy will remain on the coaching staff next season. New Lakers Head Coach Darvin Ham is still putting together his coaching staff and dismissed most of the current staff. Handy has accepted an offer to stay on the staff under the leadership of Darvin Ham. David Fizdale, Mike Penberthy, and John Lucas III will not be retained while Quinton Crawford will also remain on the coaching staff with Handy. The rest of the staff will likely be filled out over the coming weeks.
Phil Handy, one of the top assistants in the league, has accepted the invitation of new Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham to be a part of his coaching staff, league sources tell @YahooSports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 7, 2022
Phil Handy is in his second stint with the Los Angeles Lakers as a member of the coaching staff. Outside of the Los Angeles Lakers, he has also been on the coaching staff of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors. From 2015 to 2020 he went to six consecutive NBA Finals including four with Cleveland, one with Toronto, and one with Los Angeles. He won three championships in 2016, 2019, and 2020.
Reporting with @wojespn: New Lakers coach Darvin Ham has started to shape his coaching staff by informing assistants David Fizdale, Mike Penberthy and John Lucas III they will not be retained.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) June 7, 2022
The Los Angeles Lakers still have NBA Championship aspirations with Lebron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook on the roster. Phil Handy is a talented and experienced assistant coach and should be able to help new Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach Darvin Ham achieve that goal. The staff and roster still have some shaping up to do if they wish to achieve that goal.
