Longtime NBA assistant coach Phil Handy will become a first-time head coach for a yet-to-be-named team for the first season of the new Unrivaled women’s pro basketball league in 2025, sources told Andscape.

The 3-on-3 league will debut in Miami in January 2025 with 36 women’s basketball players playing on six teams. Unrivaled was co-founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier.

“I’m very excited to be part of the first Unrivaled season with some amazing coaches and athletes,” Handy told Andscape on Friday. “Supporting women in sports has been a longstanding passion of mine, and I truly appreciate the chance to continue contributing to their growth and success.

“I’ve always seen basketball as more than gender — it’s about the skill, dedication and heart that athletes bring to the game. Exploring this more deeply during the offseason, before the [WNBA] season begins in April, feels like a meaningful and exciting way to stay connected to my roots. I love coaching athletes.”

Handy, 53, won three NBA championships as an NBA assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, the Toronto Raptors in 2019 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. The former University of Hawaii guard was an assistant coach with the Lakers from 2019 to 2024, the Raptors from 2018-19 and the Cavaliers from 2013-18 after serving as a player development coach with the Lakers from 2011-13. The San Leandro, California, native is widely known for leading skills camps all over the world and training elite players during the offseason, including the late Kobe Bryant, Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving and USC women’s basketball guard JuJu Watkins.

The inaugural Unrivaled season is slated to begin Jan. 17, 2025. Team assignments for each coach, rosters and schedules will be announced on Nov. 20.