After one year away, the guard rejoined the British team this past summer
Tarik Phillip on return to London Lions: 'I wanted another run at the EuroCup title'
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Tarik Phillip is just like any other player in that he wants success. And once you taste it, the yearning for more only grows. That is one of the main reasons he is playing with the London Lions: Phillip wants another chance to win the BKT EuroCup.
Another chance because Phillip was part of one of the most exciting teams in the EuroCup in 2023-24 – a talent-laden side that ran into the buzz saw that was eventual champion Paris Basketball.
“It was electric, man,” Phillip told David Hein when recalling the 2-0 series loss to Paris in the semifinals. “Just the fact that we played against Paris and we're neighboring cities in a sense, it was very dope to experience that.”
Among Phillip’s teammates were Sam Dekker, Gabe Olaseni, David Nwaba, Conor Morgan, Matt Morgan and Jordan Taylor. London that season defended its British League championship and lost only six games in the EuroCup before going into the semis against Paris, which had beaten Lions twice during the regular season.
Despite falling in the EuroCup Semifinals, Phillip said the 2023-24 campaign was one to remember for the ages. And that London team had the makings of greatness.
“It's definitely up there. I'll say number one,” the 32-year-old said. “We lost to a great team. We had a heck of a team. That team was so much fun to watch. That Paris team has been together for probably three years. So I felt if we had kept that team and built chemistry from the year after that, there was no telling where we could have done. We had so much talent.”
Phillip said one of the biggest keys was adding Nwaba before Round 14 in January 2024.
“That just took us to a whole other level as well, despite the players that we already had. We literally had two starting fives, the same way Paris did. It was fun. It was a heck of a series. And I definitely have to rank that number one in my playing career so far.”
Phillip spent two seasons with London, arriving in 2022 after having played in Hungary, Spain, Türkiye, Israel and Italy. He played in the EuroCup in 2021-22 with Umana Reyer Venice and then mid-season moved to San Pablo Burgos in the Spanish top flight.
Then it was off to the home country of his mother, England, to play for London. But the Brooklyn-born New York native had to wait quite a while before he could finally play for the club. On the first day of the 2022-23 pre-season, he fractured his patella. The broken kneecap kept him out until April 21, 2023 – a full 254 days after signing with London.
He averaged 6.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists in seven games that season, which ended with a domestic league crown.
When deciding if he would return the following campaign, Phillip said his relationship with management and its commitment to him steered his decision, as well as them saying they will build a strong team for 2023-24.
“I'm like, you know what? I'm coming off an injury. They’ve given me the opportunity to come back and play with a guaranteed contract again with the same role and the same aspirations. It's something to honor you at the end of the day. They’re believing in me despite my injury and everything like that,” Phillip said.
Phillip only started playing with London in 2022 but he has been with the British national team since 2019 and is excited to see the following built up in the city.
“I went from seeing the Copper Box having hundreds of people maybe to having full arenas. So it's surreal when you see stuff like that and you see the community buying into what we're doing because we're going in every day and putting in the work to get to where we need to get to, to put our good performances and show that UK basketball has basketball players and we can really compete.”
Phillip left London in 2024 and started last season in Poland with Trefl Sopot before moving to Hapoel Jerusalem in November, helping the Israeli side reach the EuroCup Quarterfinals in his second stint with the club.
When looking for a spot for this season, Phillip said he talked to new head coach Tautvydas Sabonis as well as club president Lenz Balan and liked what he heard.
“Just the trajectory of where they want London basketball to go, where they want the team to go, their aspirations as well as my aspirations. Obviously, everybody wants to play at the highest level here in Europe. I never really got a chance to play in the EuroLeague. They still have aspirations. Everybody in Europe wants a EuroLeague team in London. They still have the same plan to do big things here with basketball in London, and I wanted to be a part of it. So I said, why not come back and try to make another run at the EuroCup title?”
Phillip has a slightly different role this time around. More of one as a grizzled veteran and leader.
“It's kind of a new position for me because I've never really been the oldest or one of the older guys on the team. So it was definitely an adjustment in the beginning. But slowly I’m embracing it,” he said. “It kind of makes you tap into yourself a little more, knowing that you're leading and eyes are watching you. You have to set the example at all times, despite the moments where it's not going good for you. You still have to keep the team on track and keep the team together even in those 20-point losses or whatever the case may be, because we got another game next week.”
Another week closer to the success that Phillip hopes to find again in London.