144 Facts About Erin Phillips

Erin Victoria Phillips was born on 19 May 1985 and is an Australian rules footballer for the Port Adelaide Football Club in the AFL Women's competition, a radio host, and a former professional basketball player.

Erin Phillips played nine seasons in the Women's National Basketball Association for five different teams and is a two-time WNBA champion.

Erin Phillips represented Australia on the women's national basketball team, winning a gold medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women and serving as a co-vice captain at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Additionally, Phillips has played five seasons in the AFLW with the Adelaide Football Club, in which she is a three-time premiership player and two-time league best and fairest.

Erin Phillips's father Greg played professional Australian rules football for Port Adelaide, where he was an eight-time premiership player and earned an induction into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

Erin Phillips played only Australian rules football until age 13, switching to basketball because of the lack of professional opportunities for female footballers at the time.

Erin Phillips made her debut in the Women's National Basketball League for the Adelaide Lightning, her hometown team, at the age of 17 and was named to the All-WNBL Team three times by the age of 22, finally winning a WNBL championship in 2008 in her last year with the team.

Erin Phillips was drafted into the WNBA in 2005 by the Connecticut Sun.

Erin Phillips won another WNBA title two years later with the Phoenix Mercury.

Erin Phillips won the AFLW best and fairest award by a wide margin in both 2017 and 2019, as well as the AFLW Grand Final best on ground as a member of Adelaide's premiership teams in both years.

Erin Phillips plays as a midfielder and is one of the leading goal scorers in the competition.

Erin Victoria Phillips was born on 19 May 1985 in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton to Julie and Greg Phillips.

Erin Phillips grew up with her two older sisters Rachel and Amy in Adelaide.

Erin Phillips's father was a professional Australian rules football defender who played most of his career with the Port Adelaide Football Club in the South Australian National Football League, where he served as captain for three years, was an eight-time premiership player, and was named to the club's all-time Greatest Team in 2000.

Erin Phillips competed in the Victorian Football League, which was later renamed as the modern Australian Football League, as a member of the Collingwood Football Club.

Erin Phillips's father was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2020.

Erin Phillips has said she "wanted to be an AFL footballer since [she] could walk and talk, and wanted to be exactly like [her] dad".

Erin Phillips was named the best and fairest player on her under-13 team.

John Cahill, one of her father's coaches at Port Adelaide, praised Erin Phillips's ability, saying she was "as good a 14-year old as I've ever seen play football" in comparison to Port Adelaide Hall of Famers such as her father, Russell Ebert, and Gavin Wanganeen.

Erin Phillips had the opportunity to train with Port Adelaide on occasion while growing up.

Erin Phillips decided to switch her sporting focus from football to basketball at the age of 14 due to the lack of opportunities at the time for female footballers to play professionally.

Erin Phillips's father had introduced her to Rachael Sporn, a member of the Australian national basketball team, around this time.

Erin Phillips represented South Australia Metro in the under-16 and under-18 Australian national championships, winning the Norma Connolly Trophy as a member of the under-16 championship team in 1999.

Erin Phillips was a member of the South Australia under-20 championship team in 2004, where she won the Bob Staunton Award as the most outstanding player in the women's tournament.

Erin Phillips made her professional basketball debut with the Adelaide Lightning in the Women's National Basketball League in 2002 at age 17.

Erin Phillips played six consecutive seasons with the team through 2008.

Erin Phillips had earned an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship to join their WNBL team in 2003, but never played for them after being replaced before the start of that season.

Erin Phillips was fourth in the league in offensive rebounds with 3.1 per game and fifth in steals with 5.1 per game.

Erin Phillips continued to be one of the best players in the league through the remainder of her WNBL career.

Erin Phillips was named to the All-WNBL Team again in 2006 and 2007.

The second loss to Canberra, who were led by Lauren Jackson, in the preliminary final again came in overtime and was highlighted by Erin Phillips scoring 23 points.

Erin Phillips finished the season with a career-high 16.5 points per game to go along with 7.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.

Erin Phillips was not ready to return from her ACL injury at the start of the year and ended up playing only 17 out of 24 games during the regular season.

Erin Phillips had slight drops in her averages, finishing the year with 14.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.

Erin Phillips scored 16 points in the game, second on her team behind Renae Camino who had 32 and was named Grand Final MVP.

However, Erin Phillips never played for the team due to injury and the franchise dissolved at the end of their first season due to financial difficulties.

Erin Phillips is tenth in points with 1498, sixth in assists with 423, seventh in rebounds with 731, and ninth in steals with 139.

Erin Phillips was the only player taken in the draft who did not play college basketball in the United States and one of two international players drafted along with fifth overall pick Sancho Lyttle.

Erin Phillips did not play during the 2005 WNBA season, instead choosing to play on tours and in training camps with the national team in Australia to increase her chances of making the team.

Erin Phillips decided to join the Sun for the 2006 season despite national team coach Jan Stirling's saying it would hurt her chances of playing in the FIBA World Championship later that year, which was scheduled to begin just a week after the end of the WNBA Finals.

Erin Phillips played in all 34 games in her debut season.

Erin Phillips was named a starter in the 22nd game of the season after an injury to Nykesha Sales and ended up starting the last 13 games.

Erin Phillips recorded a season-high six assists in her first game as a starter, and then had season-bests of 19 points and 6rebounds a few games later.

Erin Phillips's only start in the playoffs came in the first game of that series, a loss on the road.

Erin Phillips did not return to the WNBA until the second half of the 2008 season after missing the first half of the season to train with the Australian national team for the Olympics, which took place in August in the middle of the WNBA season.

Erin Phillips played in eight regular season games, all off the bench.

Erin Phillips was at risk of losing playing time after the team signed experienced guards Renee Montgomery and Kara Lawson to complement Jekabsone-Zogota and White.

Erin Phillips started a career-best 22 games that year, and averaged a career-best 8.6 points per game to go along with 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.

Erin Phillips scored a career-high 21 points on two separate occasions, both losses to the Atlanta Dream.

Erin Phillips was consistently a player that made plays, and that's what the Finals are about.

Erin Phillips saw an increased role on the team after an ankle injury kept Katie Douglas out of the rest of the playoffs following Game2 of the Conference Finals.

Erin Phillips scored at least 10 points in all five games Douglas missed, including 15 points in the winner-take-all game of the Conference Semifinals and 18 points and 8rebounds in the series-clinching Game4 of the WNBA Finals.

Just before the start of the 2013 season in late May, Erin Phillips tore her meniscus in her right knee, an injury that kept her out until early July.

Erin Phillips ended up playing only 18 games, starting just six of them.

Two months before the start of the 2014 season, Erin Phillips was traded to the Phoenix Mercury with a second-round draft pick in return for forward Lynetta Kizer and a first-round draft pick.

Erin Phillips joined two of her compatriots on the team, fellow guard Penny Taylor and new coach Sandy Brondello.

Erin Phillips started only one more game the rest of the season, matching her career-high with 21 points.

Erin Phillips signed with the Los Angeles Sparks in the offseason.

Erin Phillips played only 12 games during the 2015 season due to knee issues both early and late in the season.

Erin Phillips missed the playoffs, where the fourth-seeded Sparks were eliminated in the first round by the Minnesota Lynx.

Erin Phillips was named a co-captain of the new team, which had just relocated and was known as the Tulsa Shock in previous years.

Erin Phillips ended up scoring the first points in Dallas Wings' history.

Erin Phillips began the season as a starter before settling into a bench role for much of the rest of the season, averaging only 14.6 minutes per game, the second-lowest of her WNBA career.

Erin Phillips joined Ramat Hasharon in the Israeli Ligat ha'Al following the end of the 2008 WNBA season.

Erin Phillips played only the first half of the season for Ramat Hasharon, averaging 11.6 points, 5.3 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game in 10 regular season games.

Erin Phillips joined Lotos Gdynia in her first PLKK season, playing nearly the entire year.

Gdynia competed in EuroLeague Women, where Erin Phillips was named an All-Star for the Rest of the World team against Europe.

Erin Phillips led the team in scoring in the EuroLeague during her first season in Krakow with 14.9 points per game.

Erin Phillips was named a PLKK All-Star in her first two seasons with Krakow.

Erin Phillips played seven games in both the Extraliga and the EuroLeague, averaging 7.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game in the Extraliga, as well as 10.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game during the EuroLeague season.

Erin Phillips began training with the Australian women's national basketball team, the Opals, in 2005.

Erin Phillips played an important role in the semifinal win against England.

Erin Phillips is definitely a young developing player we've got earmarked for Beijing and to get a worlds under her belt is a bonus when you move the clock forward to [the Olympics].

Erin Phillips had a minor role on the team during the tournament, averaging 2.0 points and 1.1 assists in 7.4 minutes per game.

Erin Phillips returned to play with the national team in April 2008 and missed the first half of the WNBA season to continue training with them up until and through the Olympics in August.

Erin Phillips had more playing time in the tournament than in the previous World Championship, averaging 4.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 13.6 minutes per game.

Nonetheless, Erin Phillips knew she was hurting her chances of making the team by playing the full WNBA season instead of skipping the first half of the year to keep training with the Opals like Lauren Jackson.

Erin Phillips decided to play the full season because she thought it was better preparation and she wanted to honour her contract with the Indiana Fever.

The Opals won the bronze medal in London, and Erin Phillips ended up winning her first WNBA title.

Erin Phillips returned to the national team as one of 33 players selected to prepare for the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women in Turkey.

Erin Phillips was named to the team for the World Championship, having won the WNBA Finals just 15 days before the Opals' first game in the tournament.

Unlike her previous two World Championships where she had little playing time off the bench, Erin Phillips established herself in the team's regular starting lineup, leading the team in minutes per game, and was third in scoring and second in assists.

The last major international tournament of Erin Phillips's career was the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Erin Phillips was a guard, and could play both the point guard and shooting guard positions.

Erin Phillips's versatility allowed her to play as a combo guard between both of those positions.

Erin Phillips said she was "one of the best rebounding guards we've had".

Erin Phillips excelled at taking offensive charges while on defence and was a good perimeter defender.

Erin Phillips was one of the best three-point shooters in the WNBA during her career, ranking top ten in the league in three-point field goal percentage five times in the eight seasons where she played enough to qualify for the rankings.

Shortly after the end of the season, Erin Phillips was promoted to assistant coach of the team for 2018, replacing Bridget Pettis.

Erin Phillips coached alongside fellow assistant coach Taj McWilliams-Franklin and under head coach Fred Williams, who had been the team's head coach in Phillips's last year as a player in the WNBA as well.

Erin Phillips retained her position the following year as the Wings hired new head coach Brian Agler.

Erin Phillips had turned down the opportunity to interview for that head coaching vacancy in order to return to Australian rules football in the AFLW during the offseason.

Erin Phillips left the coaching staff following the 2019 WNBA season in search of opportunities in Australia.

Erin Phillips had previously stated it was "highly unlikely" that she would join Adelaide if Port Adelaide were not granted a licence.

Erin Phillips had not played in a football match since participating in the Little Heroes Slowdown in 2004, a charity match featuring retired AFL and SANFL players as well as celebrities.

Erin Phillips was named best on ground in that game.

Erin Phillips was named as a co-captain of Adelaide for the inaugural 2017 AFLW season, along with Chelsea Randall, one of the club's marquee signings.

Erin Phillips was awarded best on ground in both games, receiving the maximum three votes that were to be tallied at the end of the season to decide the competition's best and fairest.

Erin Phillips led the Crows in goals in the first game of the season with three.

Erin Phillips was awarded best on ground for the third and final time during the home-and-away season in Adelaide's Round4 win, leading the Crows with 18 disposals.

Erin Phillips received an additional two votes in both of the last two games of the season.

Erin Phillips won best on ground, having recorded 28 disposals, 7marks, and 7tackles, all personal season-bests and team-highs in the game.

Erin Phillips kicked both of Adelaide's goals in the second half.

Erin Phillips ended the year as the third-leading goalkicker in the AFLW with ten goals.

At the AFLW Awards, Erin Phillips was named the inaugural AFLW best and fairest, finishing the season with 14 votes, four ahead of the Western Bulldogs' Ellie Blackburn and Melbourne's Karen Paxman.

Erin Phillips was a finalist for AFLW Mark of the Year for an on-the-shoulders mark that she took against Melbourne, losing the award to Darcy Vescio.

Erin Phillips won the AFLW Players' Most Valuable Player Award and was named to the All-Australian team.

Erin Phillips struggled with a right quad injury through much of the 2018 season.

Erin Phillips first injured the quad in the preseason and then aggravated it the day before the start of the season, keeping her out for the first two games.

Adelaide lost both of the those games without Erin Phillips, which were against Brisbane and Melbourne.

When Erin Phillips returned, Adelaide resumed winning as Erin Phillips starred with four of Adelaide's six goals and two of their five behinds, earning best on ground.

However, this was the only game of the year where Erin Phillips earned any votes.

Erin Phillips recovered to kick three goals the following week.

Erin Phillips had a season-high 25 disposals as well as two goals in that win against Fremantle.

Erin Phillips kicked a season-high three goals one week earlier against Geelong.

Erin Phillips had 23 disposals in the game, trailing only her teammate Ebony Marinoff who had 27.

Erin Phillips had 18 disposals and kicked two goals before leaving the game.

Erin Phillips received a standing ovation when she was taken off the field on a stretcher.

Erin Phillips accumulated 19 out of 21 possible votes from her seven matches, and finished eight votes ahead of Fremantle's Dana Hooker.

Erin Phillips made the All-Australian team for the second time, and was named captain of the team.

Erin Phillips again won the AFLW Players' Most Valuable Player Award.

Erin Phillips was not ready to return from her ACL injury until Round4.

Erin Phillips played better in the first half of the season, being named best on ground twice, first in Round 1 against West Coast and then in Round 4 against Brisbane.

Erin Phillips earned one vote in each of her team's next two games, including against Gold Coast when Adelaide scored 85 points, the second-highest total in AFLW history at the time.

Erin Phillips kicked at least one goal in the first six games of the season, highlighted by four of her team's six goals against Brisbane, tying her career high for goals in a game.

Erin Phillips had minor surgery on her left knee a week later.

Erin Phillips played 11 games in the 2022 season, and averaged some of the highest playing statistics of her career in tackles, marks and disposals.

Erin Phillips predominantly played up forward and rotated through the midfield during the season, kicking a goal in the Crows' 13-point premiership victory over Melbourne at Adelaide Oval, her third premiership in the league.

Erin Phillips finished fourth in the club's best and fairest count.

Erin Phillips was appointed the club's inaugural captain, with Angela Foley her vice-captain.

Erin Phillips plays primarily as a midfielder who is a goal-scoring threat like a forward.

Erin Phillips excels at being able to read plays in order to capitalize on opportunities, such as creating set shots for her teammates off of free kicks.

Erin Phillips was the all-time AFLW leading goalkicker at the end of 2019, having kicked 28 goals in the league's first three seasons.

Erin Phillips is capable of kicking goals in a variety of ways.

Erin Phillips is not considered one of the faster players in the league due to her relative age compared to other players.

Erin Phillips is married to American former basketball player Tracy Gahan.

Erin Phillips was one of many female athletes in Australia who advocated for the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the lead-up to the nationwide marriage law postal survey in late 2017.

Erin Phillips has been the co-host of a weekday Adelaide morning radio show with Mark Soderstrom on the Mix 102.3 station.

Erin Phillips began hosting permanently in December 2020 after Jodie Oddy departed from the show.

Erin Phillips had previously co-hosted on a temporary basis when Oddy was on maternity leave.

Erin Phillips played on the same football team as Burgoyne's younger brother Phil when they were children.

Erin Phillips has served as a club ambassador for Port Adelaide, and has participated in their Community Youth program to educate primary school students on physical and mental health.

In 2008, "provocative pictures" from a photo shoot of Erin Phillips were published in Alpha magazine.

Erin Phillips was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours, for "service to Australian rules football, and to basketball".