Episode 291: LaPhonso Ellis, Former NBA Veteran, Current NBA Analyst, Part 2

Episode 291: LaPhonso Ellis, Former NBA Veteran, Current NBA Analyst, Part 2

August 17, 2026 · 34 min · Season 1 · Episode 291

About this episode

LaPhonso Ellis shares insights from his coaching and analysis experiences in basketball.

On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, we’re back with part two of our conversation with LaPhonso Ellis, former NBA veteran, current basketball analyst, and head coach of Team Heartfire in The Basketball Tournament (TBT). In this second half, Ellis shifts into what he’s learned from both coaching and evaluating the game at the highest level. In this episode we discuss his perspective on the common traits he’s noticed across elite teams through his work as an analyst and what those teams consistently do in practice, his experience leading Team Heartfire in the TBT and the lessons that have come with it, and how he approaches building and managing a roster in a constantly changing tournament environment.

People in this episode

Host: Rising Coaches

Guest: LaPhonso Ellis

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Team Heartfire, The Basketball Tournament

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