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Harlem Live: How does it feel being a WNBA player? Tari Phillips: I feel really blessed to be here. It's been a long-term dream of mine, ever since I was a little girl. It's a passion, it's a love, and God has blessed me to have the ability, the talent, and the skills to rise up to the next level and try to be the best athlete I can be. HL: Who or what inspired you to play basketball? Was it always something you wanted to do or did you learn about it from someone? Tari: I remember doing a report on Wilma Rudolph, the track runner. I was inspired by the adversity she went through in order for her to become a spectacular athlete. It wasn't a basketball player that inspired me but a female athlete who saw her dream and was able to pursue that dream. HL: How does it feel being the leading scorer on the team, do you ever feel pressured? Tari: I don't know if I feel pressured, I feel it is my duty to go out and score every night. I want to go out on the court and be the best, because going up against the best is hard work. My teammates rely on me to go out there and be the best I can be, defensively and offensively. I enjoy it a lot, that competitive spirit is great and there is nothing that compares to it! |
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HL: What is it like being an all-star player three years straight? Tari: Hey what can I say, blessings just really truly come and I am honored to be apart of it!! HL: How was playing on the Orlando Miracle different from playing on the Liberty? Tari: Well Orlando was home for me and I was ecstatic to be chosen as the first round draft pick in my hometown in a place where I grew up. It was a milestone for me, even though the outcome there was not what I wanted, but I grew and obtained a lot of character to come out on the other side, to persevere and still go after my dream. HL: When you are on the court and you see there is a tight situation, and you have to make a move, what encourages you to make a move, do you have enough confidence to go out there in pressured times? Tari: I believe that I do. I have enough spirit, which dwells inside of me and that competitiveness that I have inside of me I am able to do that. The situation itself encourages me to go out there and play hard. Everything sometimes may not always go your way but it is good that you made the effort. It's like stepping out on faith and not knowing what there but just wanting to achieve something. |
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HL: What have you learned from playing on the Liberty? Tari: Each and everyday I pick up something new from my teammates because there are so many variables in the game of basketball. There are always adjustments in the game and when you loose a game you have to make big adjustments to be able to play better for the next game. HL: What kind of advice would you give to young women who aspire to make it to the pros? Tari: First of all you have to have that love, that passion for the game. It has to be something that drives you when you are on the court and even thinking about the game when you are off the court, because sometimes it is the work you do off the court that makes you a better player and takes you to the next level. You can have all the skills and athleticism in the world, but it is better for you to be smart and know the game and recognize when you are in certain situations that is another part of the game too and to be a great player. Tari: Well, after my double platinum album in singing!!!! Most people who know me singing was my first passion and if you saw me as I was growing up I were probably singing running up the court. I grew up in the church and that love and passion that has always been apart of you, even though you didn't know anything differently; waking up singing was common for me. I am happy for the unity my parents instilled inside of my siblings, and me, which has lasted throughout the years.
The family support and the spiritual attitude that Phillips has in her, is an inter-gel of what made her one of the most outstanding players in the league. She never tries to let anything stop her from going after her dreams. After moving annually from place to place, it seems as if Tari Phillips has finally found a home here in New York. Multimedia: |
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Tari
Phillips joined her first basketball team in junior high school. She
didn't see much playing time because she didn't dribble very well. But
that was just another obstacle for her to overcome, and once Phillips
learned to handle the ball, she became a solid all-around player. In
high school, she immediately made the team, and turned a tough situation
into a positive experience. Phillips went to the University of Georgia,
where she made two trips to the NCAA Regional Finals in 1997 and 1998.
After her junior year, she decided to return home to be close to her
family and transferred to Central Florida in Orlando. After graduating
in 1991, Phillips headed to Europe where she played in Turkey, France,
Italy, and Spain. In 1999, the Orlando Miracle selected Phillips in
her rookie year, spending most of her time on the bench, averaging just
10.5 minutes a game. Phillips was then drafted to the Portland Fire
in the WNBA Expansion Draft in December 1999 and she was then traded
to the New York Liberty for the 2000 season. As soon as Phillips got
to New York she worked her way to a starting position on the team. She
is now the leading scorer for the Liberty and one of the top post players
in the league. 
Harlem
Live got a chance to sit one-on-one with the 2002 All-Star and get the
scoop about her life in the WNBA:
HL:
What are your plans after you retire from the WNBA?