Erin Phillips

Erin Phillips, born on May nineteenth, nineteen eighty-five, is a remarkable Australian athlete who has excelled in both basketball and Australian rules football. With a career spanning over a decade in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), she played for five different teams and secured two WNBA championships. Phillips also represented Australia on the international stage, earning a gold medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women and serving as co-vice captain at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Phillips began her sporting journey in Australian rules football, inspired by her father, Greg, a professional player and eight-time premiership winner. She transitioned to basketball at the age of thirteen due to limited professional opportunities for female footballers. Making her debut in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) with the Adelaide Lightning at seventeen, she quickly made a name for herself, being named to the All-WNBL Team three times and winning a championship in two thousand eight.

In two thousand five, Phillips was drafted into the WNBA by the Connecticut Sun, later establishing herself as a key player with the Indiana Fever, where she won her first title in two thousand twelve. She added another championship to her accolades with the Phoenix Mercury in two thousand fourteen. After her WNBA career, she took on the role of assistant coach for the Dallas Wings and is set to return to basketball in the NBL1 Central with the Woodville Warriors in two thousand twenty-five.

With the inception of the AFLW in two thousand seventeen, Phillips embarked on her football career at thirty-one as co-captain of the Adelaide team. Despite nearly two decades away from competitive football, she quickly became one of the league's standout players, winning the AFLW best and fairest award in both two thousand seventeen and two thousand nineteen. Her contributions helped lead Adelaide to premiership victories, where she was recognized as the best on ground in the Grand Finals.