Phaidra Knight is an athlete, sports media talent, motivational speaker, and business entrepreneur. For nearly 18 years, she traveled the globe as a professional rugby player, establishing herself as one of the premier players in the sport. She made three appearances in the Rugby World Cup and was selected as the top player in the world in her position in 2002 and 2006. In 2010, she was named the US Rugby Player of the Decade. In November 2017, she became the first and only black American inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame. The former attorney is on the Board of Directors for USA Rugby Board and the Board of Trustees for the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF). She also serves as the WSF President for 2021.
Phaidra founded PeaK Unleashed in 2019, a non-profit organization dedicated to the personal and physical development of marginalized youth through educational support, rugby and yoga, particularly those of incarcerated and exploited populations. She is a keynote speaker and has an expansive television dimension to her dynamic career. Her on-air sports broadcast experience includes sideline reporting, in-booth commentating and studio analysis. Phaidra has worked with ESPN, NBC Sports, CBS Sports, World Rugby, Flo Sports, and USA Rugby TV. She travels around the world delivering rugby commentary. Phaidra was on the NBC Universal 2020 Tokyo Olympics broadcasting team and covered women’s sevens rugby games. On the big screen, she will be featured with the Oscar Award winning Halle Berry in Halle’s directorial debut “Bruised”, which is scheduled to be released later in 2021. Currently training as a mixed martial artist at the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York, New York, Phaidra is grooming to become a professional fighter. In June 2021, she made her Muay Thai debut at the TBA World Expo Muay Thai Tournament, winning the championship belt. Most recently, she competed in her first MMA bout and submitted her opponent for the win in round two.
She launched her clothing line, the PSK Collective, in August of 2020. The PSK Collective is a group of female athletes coming together to have a positive impact on girls and women alike. The PSK Collective has created a fusion of active and streetwear, designed to marry fashion, sports, and togetherness for greater causes. These causes include the empowerment of the athlete in us all, shifting attitudes surrounding fashion and expression, giving back to the organizations that help girls and women along their journey, and bringing athletes together – as part of a Collective – to help promote the line and important causes that advance women’s equity. One of the most popular products featured in the line is the Equal Pay rugby jersey. In 2021, The PSK Collective also launched a line with Walmart and Kohls.
