Napheesa Collier

Napheesa Collier (born September 23, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Fenerbahçe of the Women's Basketball Super League, Euroleague Women. After playing college basketball for the University of Connecticut Huskies, Collier was drafted by the Lynx with the 6th overall pick in the 2019 WNBA draft. She participated in the 2020 Summer Olympics games in Tokyo as part of the United States Women's Basketball team that won the Gold Medal.

Early life
When Collier wanted to play basketball, the only Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team in Jefferson City wouldn't let her try out, so her parents started a new team, the Lady Warriors, and recruited girls from other nearby towns. The Lady Warriors went on to compete in the national AAU tournament. The team that originally didn't even let Collier try out later offered her a spot, but she remained with the Lady Warriors.

In her freshman year, Collier played for Jefferson City High School in Jefferson City, Missouri, where she averaged 17.9 points and 9.8 rebounds. In her sophomore year, she transferred to Incarnate Word Academy, where she averaged a high of 24.6 points and 12 rebounds. Collier also competed on her high school track team. She was the 2013 and 2015 Gatorade Missouri Player of the Year, one of five finalists for the 2015 Naismith Award as national Player of the Year and Women's Basketball Coaches Association High School All-American.

College career


At the end of her UConn career, Collier ranked 3rd in scoring, 4th in rebounds, and 7th in blocks. She ranks 4th in most consecutive starts at UConn, with 112, had 49 career double-doubles, and averaged a double-double (20.8/10.8) her senior season. She became the fifth player in the exclusive 2000/1000 club, joining UConn greats Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Breanna Stewart and Rebecca Lobo. Collier reached the 1000 rebound mark in the game against Louisville, and reached 2000 points in the very next game against Cincinnati. She was a member of the 2016 Connecticut Huskies National Champion team and reached the Final Four in each of her four years at UConn. She received the Katrina McClain Award for Power Forward of the Year from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in her senior season. She was an AP 1st Team All-American in both her senior and sophomore seasons, and 2nd Team in her junior season. Collier has the most rebounds (411) in a season at UConn, and finished 2nd with most points in a season at 792 points, trailing only Maya Moore. As a duo, Collier and Katie Lou Samuelson scored the most points in UConn WBB history (4688), topping B. Stewart and M. Jefferson, two teammates from their freshman season.

2019 season: Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie Team, first All-Star appearance
Collier was selected by the Minnesota Lynx as the 6th overall pick in the 2019 WNBA draft. She was asked to play small forward, then power forward, and later, small forward. In her first WNBA game, Collier scored 27 points against the Chicago Sky, the second-highest debut ever for any rookie (after Candace Parker). She played 33.3 mpg, more minutes per game than any other WNBA player.

She is the second rookie (after Tamika Catchings) in WNBA history to record 400 points, 200 rebounds and 60 steals. Collier is the fourth player (after Maya Moore, Catchings and Sheryl Swoopes) to have a season with 400 points, 200 rebounds, 75 assists, 50 steals, 25 blocks and 25 made three-pointers. Collier was voted to the 2019 WNBA All-Rookie Team, and made an All-Star as an injury replacement for A'ja Wilson.

For the season, Collier averaged 13.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.9 blocks. She shot 49.0% from the field, 36.1% from three, and 79.2% from the free throw line. She was chosen ESPNW, Associated Press, and WNBA Rookie of the Year.

2020 season: In the bubble
In the 2020 season while in the WNBA bubble, Collier started a podcast with A'ja Wilson, Tea with A & Phee, which was picked up by Just Women's Sports the next year. She was selected for the All-WNBA Second Team and the All-Defensive Second Team for the first time.

2021 season: All-Star again
Collier was selected for her second All-Star game.

2022 season: Mostly maternity leave with a send off for Syl
Collier was on maternity leave for most of the 2022 season due to the birth of her daughter in May 2022. She returned to the Lynx in August 2022 and played four games. She stated she wanted to be able to return to play once more with Sylvia Fowles, who retired from the Lynx and the WNBA after the 2022 season.

2023 season: All-WNBA First Team, playoff return
Collier returned in 2023 stronger and had an MVP-caliber season for the Lynx in her first as the team's new captain. At the June 29, 2023, game, Collier became only the second player in WNBA history to put up a stat line with 30+ points/5+ rebounds/5+ assists/5+ blocks; Collier had 31 points, eight rebounds, five assists and six blocks. She returned to the All-Star game for her third appearance. She was selected for the All-WNBA First Team for the first time. She was also selected for the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team for the second time. She was also named to the Minnesota Lynx All-25 Team for the team's 25th anniversary.

2024 season: Off to MVP caliber start
Beginning the 2024 season, Collier became the first player in the league to ever "score at least 115 points, get 50 rebounds and have 25 or more steals and blocks (she has 14 steals and 11 blocks) and 20 assists in any five-game stretch," as reported by Cheryl Reeve on May 27, 2024. She was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for the fifth time on May 21, 2024, averaging "24.5 points on 46.3% shooting, 10.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 3.5 steals and 2.0 blocks per game." In the June 14, 2024, Lynx home game against the Sparks, Collier became the first WNBA player to ever have 30+ points, 8+ steals, 5+ rebounds, and 2+ blocks in a game. Her eight steals in the game set a new Lynx franchise record. Collier won the MVP award when the Lynx won the 2024 WNBA Commissioner's Cup championship on June 25, 2024, against the New York Liberty.

Overseas
Collier played for Lattes-Montpellier in France in 2021, where she was part of the team that won the Coupe De France Finale in Paris.

In 2023, Collier played for Fenerbahçe in the Turkish Super League on a short term contract, along with her Lynx teammate, Kayla McBride. During her short time with the team, she was named Most Valuable Player in the SuperCup Women championship. She returned to the team in January 2024. She was part of the team that won the club's second straight EuroLeague Women championship in April 2024. Collier had 33 points in the final, which was the second highest ever.

Announcement of Unrivaled league
In July 2023, Collier announced she and Breanna Stewart are forming a new professional women's league, Unrivaled, to give WNBA players an option to play in the W's off season and have an alternative to playing overseas to earn money. The league, which is in the development stage with sponsorships, is expected to start in 2025 and will feature 30 players in a 3-on-3 or 1-on-1 format. The initial season will be from January through March and will be played in Miami.

National team career
In June 2021, Collier was named to the United States Women's Olympic basketball team to compete in Tokyo, Japan during the 2020 Summer Olympics, marking her first selection. She and Team USA went on to win the gold medal in the tournament, defeating Japan 90–75 in the final.

Collier was named to the Women's Olympic basketball team to compete in Paris, France for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Regular season

 * align="left" | 2019
 * align="left" | Minnesota
 * 34 || 34 || 33.3 || .490 || .361 || .792 || 6.6 || 2.6 || 1.9 || 0.9 || 1.9 || 13.1
 * align="left" | 2020
 * align="left" | Minnesota
 * 22 || 22 || 34.2 || .523 || .408 || .829 || 9.0 || 3.3 || 1.8 || 1.3 || 2.7 || 16.1
 * align="left" | 2021
 * align="left" | Minnesota
 * 29 || 29 || 34.6 || .441 || .253 || .860 || 6.6 || 3.2 || 1.3 || 1.3 || 2.3 || 16.2
 * align="left" | 2022
 * align="left" | Minnesota
 * 4 || 4 || 22.8 || .423 || .286 || .714 || 3.0 || 1.0 || 0.5 || 0.3 || 0.3 || 7.3
 * align="left" | 2023
 * align="left" | Minnesota
 * 37 || 37 || 33.5 || .485 || .298 || .840 || 8.5 || 2.5 || 1.6 || 1.2 || 2.4 || 21.5
 * align="left" | Career
 * align="left" | 5 years, 1 team
 * 126 || 126 || 33.5 || .480 || .318 || .831 || 7.5 || 2.8 || 1.6 || 1.1 || 2.2 || 16.6
 * align="left" | Minnesota
 * 37 || 37 || 33.5 || .485 || .298 || .840 || 8.5 || 2.5 || 1.6 || 1.2 || 2.4 || 21.5
 * align="left" | Career
 * align="left" | 5 years, 1 team
 * 126 || 126 || 33.5 || .480 || .318 || .831 || 7.5 || 2.8 || 1.6 || 1.1 || 2.2 || 16.6
 * 126 || 126 || 33.5 || .480 || .318 || .831 || 7.5 || 2.8 || 1.6 || 1.1 || 2.2 || 16.6

Playoffs

 * align="left" | 2019
 * align="left" | Minnesota
 * 1 || 1 || 38.0 || .727 || .333 || .500 || 10.0 || 3.0 || 2.0 || 1.0 || 4.0 || 19.0
 * align="left" | 2020
 * align="left" | Minnesota
 * 4 || 4 || 34.3 || .500 || .538 || .625 || 9.0 || 3.0 || 0.5 || 2.5 || 2.0 || 16.5
 * align="left" | 2021
 * align="left" | Minnesota
 * 1 || 1 || 35.0 || .273 || 1.000 || .000 || 4.0 || 2.0 || 3.0 || 0.0 || 4.0 || 8.0
 * align="left" | 2023
 * align="left" | Minnesota
 * 3 || 3 || 36.0 || .509 || .333 || .867 || 8.0 || 1.7 || 0.7 || 1.3 || 2.3 || 23.7
 * align="left" | Career
 * align="left" | 4 years, 1 team
 * 9 || 9 || 35.3 || .504 || .500 || .741 || 8.2 || 2.4 || 1.0 || 1.7 || 2.3 || 18.2
 * 3 || 3 || 36.0 || .509 || .333 || .867 || 8.0 || 1.7 || 0.7 || 1.3 || 2.3 || 23.7
 * align="left" | Career
 * align="left" | 4 years, 1 team
 * 9 || 9 || 35.3 || .504 || .500 || .741 || 8.2 || 2.4 || 1.0 || 1.7 || 2.3 || 18.2
 * 9 || 9 || 35.3 || .504 || .500 || .741 || 8.2 || 2.4 || 1.0 || 1.7 || 2.3 || 18.2

Personal life
Off the court, Collier loves to read, especially mystery novels by Ruth Ware. In October 2019, she became engaged to Alex Bazzell, a basketball skills coach. In November 2021 they announced they are expecting their first child, a baby girl. On May 25, 2022, Collier gave birth to a baby girl, Mila Sarah Bazzell. On October 7, 2022, Collier and Bazzell were married in St. Louis.

Collier became the first WNBA player to join EcoAthletes to work on climate action.

Collier is the granddaughter of Gershon Collier, a Sierra Leone Creole lawyer, former ambassador to the United Nations, former ambassador to the United States, and, briefly, chief justice of Sierra Leone. Later, an expatriate, educator, and Yankees and Giants fan, he died two years before she was born. Her father, Gamal Collier, explained to The New York Times that he brought up Napheesa to know the "importance of self-sufficiency and responsibility and upholding the family name." Gershon had helped Sierra Leone gain its independence from the United Kingdom in 1961.

Her younger brother Kai played football at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri.