They have the same smile, the same last name, and the same passion for their sport. You also might not want to get caught between them during a hand of Uno.
Brandon Phillips, of Stone Mountain, is the starting second baseman for the Cincinnati Reds. His sister, Porsha Phillips, is the starting power forward for the Georgia Lady Bulldogs.
This unique brother-sister duo also has a brother P.J., 24, who is a second baseman in the Angels’ organization and a brother Jamil, 32, who is a baseball instructor in Kansas. Their parents, James and Lue Phillips, operate the Phillips Baseball Center in Pine Lake.
So what happens when Brandon and Porsha get together for a game of H-O-R-S-E? They answered that question and more in phone calls from the Reds’ spring-training facility in Goodyear, Ariz. and from Athens. Here are excerpts:
Q: How often do you get to see each other play?
Brandon: I go to all my sister's games during the offseason because you never knew when my sister's last game is going to be. Hopefully she can go to the WNBA. She's playing WNBA[-caliber] ball.
Porsha: I get to see him in May [when the Reds come to Atlanta]. I usually go to school in June or July. I'll probably get to see him more often since this is my last year.
Q: What do you respect about each other’s game?
Brandon: I respect her presence, the way that she goes out and makes other people better. My sister doesn't really care about the numbers and about her getting hers. She's all about winning and trying to be a team player.
Porsha: How much fun he has out there. You have fun when you're doing something that you love, and I love how he plays his heart out and enjoys the game.
Q: Do you play one-on-one or H-O-R-S-E in the backyard?
Brandon: I'm scared to play basketball during the offseason because of what happened to [former Reds infielder] Aaron Boone [who injured his knee in pickup game]. But we play H-O-R-S-E all the time. She can't beat me in H-O-R-S-E. If we play one-on-one, I know she'll get me, but when it comes to H-O-R-S-E, she has no chance.
Porsha: Oh, yeah. I can't beat him in H-O-R-S-E. He's good at it. He has a lot of [shots] up his sleeve, some crazy reverse layup or pass the ball off the ground and make a bank shot, just something crazy.
Q: What was your favorite backyard moment, goofing around?
Brandon: I remember the first time that my sister grabbed the rim. It was the most hilarious thing in the world. I came back home and my mom was like "You know your sister can dunk." I was like, "Mama, stop playing with me like that."... We went to the gym and I said "All right, you dunk a ball, I take you anywhere in this world." She was like OK. She went up there and jumped, and she just did the Sprite commercial and got hung. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life. She fell on her butt, and we all just laughed and laughed. I said, "Oh my baby can touch the rim." I was very happy about that.
Porsha: I can't remember that. It was a long time ago, probably like eighth grade, ninth grade. ... My brothers always want me to dunk, so I'd just try to dunk. I dunked it one time in the backyard. I'm not too big on dunking though.
Q: When did Porsha grow taller? [She’s 6-foot-2; Brandon is 6-0]
Brandon: She was always tall, but when she got to high school, that's when she just shot up real quick. I was like, "Man, what in the world is going on? What's my mama feeding her, grits, greens and grasshoppers?" I'm gone away playing in the minor leagues and then next thing you know every time I see my sister, I'm like "Am I getting shorter?"
Porsha: My dad's sisters are tall, like 6-3, 6-4. I guess that's where it came from.
Q: So Porsha is a pretty good softball player, too?
Brandon: She still hits when she comes to watch me practice. She was hitting bombs, too. She can play. I really feel like she could be on the Olympic softball team. She's that talented. It was my daddy's fault why she quit softball.
Porsha: Softball was my love. That was always my passion. But my parents wanted me to try something new, and I fell in love with basketball. [It was] probably because there was a professional team. They probably wanted to see me succeed in basketball and then try to work toward my dream of playing professionally.
Q: So what couldn’t Porsha do, then?
Brandon: She was probably the most terrible cheerleader I've ever seen in my life. She was so tall. She had the longest arms and when she bent her arms, when they've got to go up and pose at the end of the cheer, her arms would break in because she was double-jointed. It looked so funny. I'm sorry, baby, I love you, but she was maybe the worst cheerleader I've ever seen.
Porsha: He's crazy. I used to love cheerleading. But you know, I wasn't probably [the best]. ... It was fun though. He didn't get to see me cheer. He doesn't know what he's talking about.
Q: What can Porsha always win?
Brandon: There's nothing my sister can beat me in. Maybe Scrabble. Or chess because I don't know how to play chess, but Scrabble, I'll give her a run for her money, or Uno.
Porsha: He's stupid [laughing]. ... If you beat Brandon, he's the kind of person who has to play you again. He doesn't let it slide. I'll probably play you again, too.
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