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Phillip “The Gift” Heath is a body builder from Seattle, Washington. He attended Rainer Beach High School where he was the starting point guard on the basketball team. As a senior in 1998, Heath helped lead Rainer Beach to a state championship win over Olympia High. In the championship game, Heath scored eight points while adding several clutch rebounds and assists. Two of Phil Heath’s notable teammates were Jamal Crawford and Will Conroy. Crawford was Rainer Beach’s best player and Conroy was just a freshman receiving minimal playing time. Conroy later transfered to Garfield.

After graduating high school, Phil Heath left play to play division one basketball at the University of Denver on a full scholarship. Phil played both the point guard and shooting guard positions in Denver. Heath was known for his speed getting up and down the court and also for his defense. Standing at just 5’10” Heath could easily dunk when he was younger but his offensive game relied heavily on the three ball.

Phil was always a very muscular basketball player. After graduating from college and while looking for the next thing to do, Heath realized his body was more impressive than his body building friends. It was at that time that he decided to dedicate himself to the sport of body building. Phil switched to a more rigorous workout regimen and began eating six or seven meals a day.

Heath enjoyed immediate success being named Mr. Colorado in 2003 after graduating just a year before. Phil has completely transformed his body as a professional body builder. After his basketball career at University of Denver, Phil stood at only 195 pounds. Now Phil Heath competes at 240 pounds and is one of the best heavyweight body builders in the world. 2008 was Phil’s first time competing in Mr. Olympia. Phil finished third and it was the first time since 1993 that a rookie finished in the top three.

In body building most competitors do not reach their physical prime until their thirties. Phil has been respected as one of the top body builders in the world ever since his mid to late twenties. Heath’s body is famous for the size of his muscles in comparison to his tiny joints. The ease in which he rose to the top of the body building game and his super low body fat percentage is the reason he was given the nickname, Phil “The Gift” Heath. Heath finished second this year in the 2010 Mr. Olympia competition. Phil Heath will surely be one of the best body builders in the world for years come.

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Here is part one from the state championship game. Phil Heath gets introduced at the one minute mark and knocks down the first three of the game. Check out Jamal Crawford’s haircut. The entire game can be found if you are interested.