18
The theme of this issue of Inspire is “Generations,” so I’ll start with the fact that you and your wife, Hayley, welcomed your first child, Lucas Philip, in June last year. How has becoming a father impacted or changed you? It’s brought new light to what life really is and how you can feel and see that decisions are not made only for yourself, but now for my son, too—and, of course, they continue to be made for my wife, as well. I am also more aware of how many blessings God gives, especially when times are tough. [God] has helped me navigate through so many tough times. Your son’s middle name is also your father’s name (“Flip” was a nickname for “Philip”) so clearly there’s an intentional connection of the generations there, too. What qualities of your dad’s would you hope that your son exhibits as he grows up? I hope he grows into a human being that treats people right. Someone who stays positive through tough situations and knows that nothing
will just be given to you—you have to work for what you want in life. A strong work ethic is very important to me.
important. You know that even the bad days are not just bad days because God is with you. That’s really important.
Between your appointment as the youngest head coach in the NBA in 2019, the birth of your son in 2019, your marriage to Hayley in 2017, and your father’s death in 2015, you’ve had a whole lot of major life transitions in the past few years. Can you share a bit about how your faith has impacted how you have experienced and understood those events and experiences? It’s impossible to process any of those experiences without my faith. Both the good and the bad are better understood when my faith is strong. Over the last four years, after my dad passed, my faith was critical to navigating through that experience. If I didn’t have something to fall back on, something to hold me up, I wouldn’t have been able to fully experience any of those things—the grief or the joy. I’d just be going through the motions. Having a faith-based life clarifies what’s
There is a lot of pressure in professional sports for coaches to be instantly successful, giving little grace for growth and building a team. How do you respond to that demand and try to remain balanced in all aspects of your life? I just try to take everything in stride. Pressure and expectations are usually formed through outside forces, if you stay true to your own expectations and process of how you do things, it’s easier to deal with those outside expectations. Describe a typical day in your life. What does it look like in your world to balance being an NBA head coach and a dad? Days vary throughout the week. One thing I’ve learned is that however you plan your day, it will not end up as planned. That is where my faith comes in. Being an NBA head coach is just my occupation—how I
