Julian Phillips Bio
Julian Phillips is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A small forward listed at 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) and 201 lb (91 kg), he entered the league in 2023 after a single college season at the University of Tennessee. Phillips was selected 35th overall in the 2023 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics and was traded to the Chicago Bulls on draft night, where he spent the first phase of his professional career before a February 2026 move to Minnesota.
Before turning professional, Phillips earned recognition as a McDonald’s All-American in 2022, establishing himself as one of the top-rated recruits in his high school class. He began his NBA journey as a developmental wing, gradually expanding his role over three seasons in Chicago before being dealt to the Timberwolves in a multiplayer trade.
Julian Phillips Early Life and Background
Early Life and Background
Julian Phillips was born on November 5, 2003, in Killeen, Texas, and grew up in a military family. After his parents, who were serving in the U.S. Army, were stationed at Fort Jackson, the family relocated to Columbia, South Carolina, during his third-grade year. He began his basketball journey in the South Carolina public school system.
Phillips initially attended Blythewood High School in Blythewood, South Carolina, where his athleticism and length first gained regional attention. Following his junior year, he transferred to Link Academy in Branson, Missouri, a national program known for developing high-level basketball prospects. During his senior year, he played in the 2022 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game, one of the most prestigious showcase events in United States high school basketball.
Phillips was rated as a consensus five-star recruit and ranked among the top 20 players in the 2022 class by the major recruiting services. He originally signed a National Letter of Intent with LSU, but after head coach Will Wade was fired, he received a release and reopened his recruitment. He ultimately committed to the University of Tennessee, choosing the Volunteers over South Carolina and Auburn.
Path to Basketball
Phillips arrived at Tennessee as the Volunteers’ projected starting small forward for the 2022–23 season. He quickly justified that billing, opening the year as a regular in the starting lineup and emerging as a scoring option on the wing. His early production earned him a spot on the 2022 Battle 4 Atlantis All-Tournament team after he averaged a team-leading 13.3 points per game in that event.
Across his lone college season, Phillips appeared in 32 games with 25 starts, finishing the year with averages of 8.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. After the season, he declared for the 2023 NBA draft while preserving the option to return to school. Following positive feedback at the NBA draft combine, he elected to remain in the draft pool and begin his professional career.
Julian Phillips Career
Early Career (2023–2024)
Julian Phillips began his NBA career as a second-round selection, going 35th overall in the 2023 NBA draft to the Boston Celtics. He was traded on draft night to the Chicago Bulls via the Washington Wizards, joining a rebuilding roster in need of young wing depth. Phillips spent the early portion of his rookie year adjusting to the speed and physicality of the professional game.
During his rookie campaign, Phillips made 40 appearances for the Bulls and posted modest counting numbers as he adjusted to a reserve role, averaging 2.2 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.3 assists per game. He also received brief assignments to the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s NBA G League affiliate, to accumulate on-court minutes and continue his development.
Chicago Bulls Breakthrough (2024–2026)
In his second NBA season, Phillips took a meaningful step forward in Chicago. He appeared in 79 games, including five starts, and averaged 4.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game. The increased role allowed him to display the defensive versatility and three-point shooting that had marked him as a prospect coming out of Tennessee.
During the 2025–26 season, Phillips made 35 appearances with two starts for the Bulls, posting averages of 2.8 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.2 assists per game. His minutes fluctuated as the team evaluated its young wing rotation, and he continued to shuttle between the Bulls and the Windy City Bulls to maintain rhythm.
Minnesota Timberwolves Era (2026–Present)
On February 4, 2026, Julian Phillips was traded, along with Ayo Dosunmu, to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, and four second-round picks. The move gave Phillips an opportunity to join a Minnesota roster built around playoff contention in the Western Conference. The trade represented a fresh start for the young wing after three seasons of uneven minutes in Chicago.
Driving Style and Strengths
Phillips is best known for his length, defensive footwork, and ability to guard multiple positions on the perimeter. Listed at 6 ft 6 in with a long wingspan, he fits the profile of a modern NBA wing who can switch across matchups. Offensively, he has focused on developing his perimeter shot and finding efficient spots within the flow of an offense rather than creating his own shot in isolation.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Phillips’s signature moments is his appearance in the 2022 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game, a milestone that announced his status as an elite national recruit. He became the 35th overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, marking Tennessee’s continued presence in the professional pipeline. His February 2026 trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves stands as the most significant transaction of his professional career to date.
Julian Phillips Career Wins
Julian Phillips’s career to this point has been defined more by development and milestones than by championship hardware, as he is still in the early stages of his professional journey. His primary career wins are tied to personal achievements such as McDonald’s All-American honors and his progression through three NBA seasons.
NBA Highlights
Phillips has played in 154 regular-season NBA games across the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves, registering averages of approximately 3.3 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game for his career. He has not yet recorded his first NBA playoff appearance at the time of the most recent reporting, with the majority of his minutes coming during the regular season with Chicago.
Other Wins & Performances
Before the NBA, Phillips earned Battle 4 Atlantis All-Tournament honors as a freshman at Tennessee, a notable achievement for a first-year college player. He was also a consensus five-star high school recruit and a top-20 national prospect in the 2022 class. His continued assignments to the Windy City Bulls gave him a path to log additional developmental minutes in the NBA G League.
Julian Phillips Family
Family Background and Basketball Lineage
Julian Phillips was raised in a military family tied to the U.S. Army, with his parents stationed at Fort Jackson in South Carolina, which shaped his early childhood after his birth in Killeen, Texas. The structure and discipline of an Army family helped frame his approach to school and athletics.
Personal Life
Phillips is known to keep his personal life largely private, with no public information available about a spouse, partner, or children at this stage of his career. He remains focused on his professional development following his February 2026 trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
2025 Season Performance
Julian Phillips’s 2025 calendar year bridged the end of his 2024–25 NBA season and the opening of his 2025–26 campaign with the Chicago Bulls. In the closing stretch of 2024–25, he set new personal bests in scoring and rebounding averages, reaching 4.6 points and 2.1 rebounds per game while appearing in a career-high 79 contests. That production reinforced his standing as a rotation wing in Chicago’s long-term plans heading into the new season.
Phillips opened the 2025–26 season continuing in a depth role for the Bulls, appearing in 35 games with two starts and averaging 2.8 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.2 assists per game. His minutes fluctuated as the coaching staff evaluated younger options, and he received additional developmental reps with the Windy City Bulls in the NBA G League. The early-season role reflected the Bulls’ broader reset around a younger core.
The defining moment of Phillips’s 2025–26 season came on February 4, 2026, when he was traded, along with Ayo Dosunmu, to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The move placed him on a contending Western Conference roster and offered a clearer pathway to expanded minutes. Looking ahead, the outlook points toward Phillips competing for rotation minutes in Minnesota’s wing group, with the goal of translating his defensive tools and perimeter shooting into a steadier offensive role.
