Erin Phillips; From basketball stardom to AFLW greatness

• She is an Australian athlete who has excelled in basketball and football rules
• She played for nine seasons in the WNBA
• She won a silver medal with the Australian Opals

Erin Phillips is an Australian athlete who has excelled in both basketball and Australian rules football. She played in the WNBA for nine seasons where she played for several teams like the Phoenix Mercury, Seattle Storm, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever and Los Angeles Sparks. Her achievements in the WNBA include two WNBA championships with the Phoenix Mercury, an Olympic silver medal with the Australian Opals and selection to the WNBA All-Star team.

Following her successful basketball career, the player made a transition to Australian rules football where she joined Adelaide Crows in the inaugural season of the AFL Women’s competition. Her impact in the AFLW was immediate and she won the AFLW best and fairest award by a significant margin for two years.

Erin Phillips Educational Background

Despite being a successful athlete, Phillips has also made it in her educational background. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Southampton with first-class honours and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education(PGDE) in Leadership in Learning Secondary from Birmingham City University.

Erin Phillips. Photo/Women’s Agenda

She attended Waddesdon Church of England School for her A levels where she was also a prefect and then proceeded to the University of Southampton where she was a co-captain of the History Society netball Team and secretary of the History Society. Their leadership skills have played a significant role in her career as she can excel as a coach and mentor.

Erin Phillip’s Personal Life

Erin Phillips was born on May 19 1985 in Port Lincoln, South Australia to Greg Phillips and Julie and has two elder sisters, Rachael and Amy. Her father is an Australian rules football legend who played for Port Adelaide in the SANFL for eighteen years and won eight premierships with the team. Her mother is a former netball player who played for South Australia and several porter clubs in the Netball Australia League and Suncorp Super Netball League.

Phillips played both basketball and football from a young age and excelled in both Sports. She attended Waddesdon Church of England School in Port Lincoln, where she was a prefect and a co-captain of the History Society Netball team. He then progressed to the University of Southampton in England where she studied history and played basketball for the University team.

After graduating from the University, she returned to Australia and began playing professional basketball in the Women’s National Basketball Association where she played for nine years later continued playing Australian rules football, and was drafted by the Adelaide Crows in the inaugural AFL Women’s competition.

Phillips is married to American basketball player Tracy Gahan. They met at the Adelaide Lightning in the WNBL and got married a few years later, got married in the United States before same-sex marriage was legalized in Australia and they have four children.

Erin Phillips Career

Erin Phillips is an Australian athlete who has excelled in both basketball and Australian rules football. She played in the WNBA for nine seasons where she played for several teams like the Phoenix Mercury, Seattle Storm, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever and Los Angeles Sparks. Her achievements in the WNBA include two WNBA championships with the Phoenix Mercury, an Olympic silver medal with the Australian Opals and selection to the WNBA All-Star team.

Erin Phillips. Photo/CODE Sports

Following her successful basketball career, the player made a transition to Australian rules football where she joined Adelaide Crows in the inaugural season of the AFL Women’s competition. Her impact in the AFLW was immediate and she won the AFLW best and fairest award by a significant margin for two years.

Phillips’ performance earned her the AFLW Grand Final best-on-ground award twice and she became the league’s most influential and celebrated player. She then switched to Port Adelaide, where she became the club’s AFLW captain and led the team to a finals appearance in her first season with the club.