Napheesa Collier ( ; born September 23, 1996), nicknamed "Phee", is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for the

Minnesota Lynx The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Lynx compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference. The team won the WNBA ...

of the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. The league comprises 13 teams (scheduled to expand to 15 in 2026). The WNBA is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. The WNBA w ...

(WNBA). Collier is also a founder of the

Unrivaled Unrivaled may refer to: * Unrivaled (basketball) Unrivaled is a women's professional three-on-three basketball league in the United States. History The league was founded in 2023 by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, in part to allow WN ...

basketball league along with

Breanna Stewart Breanna Mackenzie Stewart ( ; Born, August 27, 1994), nicknamed "Stewie", is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is one of the most accomplished women in ...

. 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 has won two Olympic gold medals playing on the

United States women's national basketball team The USA Basketball Women's National Team, commonly known as Team USA, is governed by USA Basketball and competes in FIBA Americas. The team is by far the most successful in international women's basketball, having won 10 out of the 12 Olympic to ...

in the

Tokyo 2020 The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

and the Paris 2024 games. She is also currently a vice president on the

Women's National Basketball Players Association The Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) is the players' union for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). It formed in 1998 and was the first trade union for female professional athletes. History The Women's Nat ...

executive committee.

Early life

When Collier wanted to play basketball, the only

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

(AAU) team in

Jefferson City Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Missouri. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 United States census, ranking as the List of cities in Missouri, 16th most popu ...

wouldn't let her try out because they were told the team was full, 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 denied Collier a chance to try out later offered her a spot, but she remained with the Lady Warriors. Collier met fellow basketball player

Maya Moore Maya April Moore (born June 11, 1989) is an American social justice advocate and former professional basketball player. Naming her their inaugural Performer of the Year in 2017, ''Sports Illustrated'' called Moore the "greatest winner in the hist ...

, who is also from Jefferson City, Missouri, and watched Moore play at the University of Connecticut and later for the Minnesota Lynx. After the Lynx retired Moore's jersey on August 24, 2024, Cheryl Reeve said, "The impact of Maya Moore is that Napheesa Collier got to dream of one day being like Maya Moore." In her freshman year, Collier played for

Jefferson City High School Jefferson City High School (JCHS) is a public secondary school in Jefferson City, Missouri. It is one of the five public high schools in Cole County and is one of two in Jefferson City. History The Jefferson City Public School District was e ...

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. Her family moved to St. Louis after her mother's job in hospital administration called for a transfer to the larger city. Collier also competed on her high school track team. She was the 2013 and 2015

Gatorade Gatorade is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. The drink is owned and manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was develope ...

Missouri Player of the Year, one of five finalists for the 2015

Naismith Award Naismith Award is a basketball award named after James Naismith, and awarded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Naismith Awards include: * Naismith College Player of the Year (men's and women's; NCAA Division I basketball) * Naismith College Coach of th ...

as national Player of the Year and

Women's Basketball Coaches Association The Women's Basketball Coaches Association is an association of coaches of women's basketball teams at all levels. The organization was formed in 1981, with the goal of addressing the needs of women's basketball coaches. The mission of the WBC ...

High School All-American.

College career

Collier received scholarship offers from colleges around the country, but rather than playing for the school that had just won three straight championships (UConn), she was determined to play for a team that could beat them instead. Out of curiosity, Collier visited UConn's campus anyway, and after witnessing the camaraderie among players, she chose to join the UConn team for her freshman year in 2015. 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 The Katrina McClain Award is an award presented annually to the best women's basketball power forward in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I competition. It is named after Hall of Famer Katrina McClain-Pittman, a two-t ...

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.

Professional career

Minnesota Lynx (2019–present)

2019 season: Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie Team, first All-Star appearance

Collier was selected by the

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 Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 2006 season. Th ...

, the second-highest debut ever for any rookie (after

Candace Parker Candace Nicole Parker (born April 19, 1986), nicknamed "Ace", is an American former professional basketball player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest WNBA players of all time, she was selected as the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA dr ...

). She played 33.3 minutes per game, the highest among all WNBA players. She is the second rookie (after

Tamika Catchings Tamika Devonne Catchings (born July 21, 1979) is an American retired professional basketball player who played her entire 15-year career for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Widely considered as one of the ...

) in WNBA history to record 400 points, 200 rebounds and 60 steals. Collier is the fourth player (after

, Catchings, and

Sheryl Swoopes Sheryl Denise Swoopes (born March 25, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player. She was the first player to be signed in the WNBA, is a three-time WNBA MVP, and was named one of the league's Top 15 Players of All Time at the 2 ...

) 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 The WNBA All-Rookie Team is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) honor given since the 2005 WNBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the WNBA head coaches, who are not allowed to vote f ...

, and made an

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

as an injury replacement for

A'ja Wilson A'ja Riyadh Wilson ( ; born August 8, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Wilson played for the South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball, South Car ...

. 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 The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

, and

WNBA Rookie of the Year The Women's National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the 1998 WNBA season, to the top rookie of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel o ...

2020 season: In the bubble

In the 2020 season while in the WNBA bubble, Collier started a podcast with

, ''Tea with A & Phee'', which was picked up by ''

Just Women's Sports ''Just Women's Sports'' (''JWS'') is an American news website and media company focused on women's sports. It was founded in 2020 by former soccer player Haley Rosen. The company creates content across social, web, and audio platforms, and has ...

'' 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: Maternity leave, send off for Sylvia Fowles

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 Sylvia Shaqueria Fowles (born October 6, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. Fowles played for the Chicago Sky and Minnesota Lynx during her WNBA career. She won the WNBA Most Valuable Player Award, WNBA MVP Award in 2017 ...

, 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: MVP caliber play, Defensive Player of the Year

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. After the Olympic break, Collier continued her MVP-level play. In the August 23, 2024, game against the

Las Vegas Aces The Las Vegas Aces are an American professional basketball team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Aces compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team plays its home game ...

, Collier out rebounded the entire Aces team with 18 rebounds (Aces had 17). She became only the third WNBA player to ever individually outrebound the entire opposing team. Collier's performance in that game against the Aces also created league history with her becoming the first WNBA player to ever have 25+ points, 15+ rebounds, and 5+ assists on 70%+ shooting; Collier had 27 points, 18 rebounds, 5 assists, and shot 73.3%. Collier was named by the WNBA as the Western Conference Player of the Week for August 15–25. This is her second such honor in the 2024 season and the sixth time she has been selected for this honor in her career. She was later named the Western Conference Player of the Month for August 2024, which was the first time Collier received this award. For the third time in the season, Collier was named the WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week for September 2–8. After the conclusion of the regular season, she was selected by the Associated Press as the Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the Associated Press WNBA First Team. She was one of two players (along with

) to be selected unanimously. On September 29, 2024, before the Lynx began their semifinals series against the

Connecticut Sun The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Sun compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team i ...

, Collier was named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and also named to the WNBA All-Defensive First Team. Collier was the runner up for the WNBA MVP award with 66 out of 67 votes for second place in the shadow of A'ja Wilson's historic season. When Maya Moore was in Minnesota for her jersey retirement in August 2024, she said of Collier, "I can tell that she's hitting her prime, and the sky's the limit for her."

= 2024 Playoffs

In the first game of the 2024 WNBA playoffs against the Phoenix Mercury on September 22, 2024, in Minnesota, Collier became the second player in Lynx franchise history (after Maya Moore) to have multiple 30+ point games in the postseason. She made 38 points in that game. In the second game against the Mercury on September 25, 2024, Collier scored 42 points, tying the WNBA playoffs single game point total record set by Breanna Stewart and Angel McCoughtry. In this game, she set a WNBA record for the most points through the first two games of a playoff series (her total is 80 points). She was also the first WNBA player to score 35+ points in consecutive postseason games. In the semifinals game 5 on October 8, 2024, against the Connecticut Sun, Collier became the first WNBA player to have 25+ points and 10+ rebounds in three straight playoff games.

Finals

In Game 1 of the finals against the New York Liberty, Collier became the first WNBA player to get 20+ points, 8+ rebounds, 6+ blocks, and 3+ steals in a playoff game. In Game 3, she set a new record for the most points in a single postseason with 249 points, breaking Diana Taurasi's 15-year record. Collier achieved her record in 10 games, while it took Taurasi 11 games to set hers. By the end of the finals, Collier became the first player in the league to lead a single playoff run in points (285), rebounds (107), steals (25), and blocks (23). She also broke Tamika Catchings' 2009 record and now holds the record for the most steals and blocks in postseason play with a total of 48.

2025 season: Revenge tour

On May 28, 2025, Collier was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for the league. The award noted she "opened the season averaging 29.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks in 35.0 minutes per game, helping Minnesota to its best start since 2017." Collier missed the May 30, 2025, game against the Phoenix Mercury because of a sore knee.

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 Kayla Renae McBride (born June 25, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was selected third overall by the San Antonio Stars in the 2014 WNBA draft. Mc ...

. 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.

Unrivaled

In July 2023, Collier announced she and

were forming a new professional women's league,

, 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 started in 2025 and features 36 players in a 3-on-3 and 1-on-1 format. The initial season is from January through March and is played in Miami. On July 10, 2024, Collier was formally announced to appear and play in the inaugural season of Unrivaled. She plays for Lunar Owls. On February 14, 2025, Collier won the Unrivaled 1x1 tournament and the $200,000 prize. Her win also meant each of her Lunar Owls teammates got $10,000.

National team career

In June 2021, Collier was named to the United States women's Olympic basketball team to compete in the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

, marking her first selection to an Olympic roster. She and Team USA went on to win the gold medal in the tournament, defeating

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

90–75 in the final. Collier was again named to the women's Olympic roster to compete at the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

. Collier and the United States defeated

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

67–66 in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

, earning Collier her second consecutive gold medal and the United States' eighth consecutive gold medal.

Career statistics

WNBA

Regular season

, - , align="left" ,

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, align="left" ,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, 34 , , 34 , , 33.3 , , .490 , , .361 , , .792 , , 6.6 , , 2.6 , , 1.9 , , 0.9 , , 1.9 , , 13.1 , - , align="left" ,

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, align="left" ,

, 22 , , 22 , , 34.2 , , .523 , , .408 , , .829 , , 9.0 , , 3.3 , , 1.8 , , 1.3 , , 2.7 , , 16.1 , - , align="left" ,

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, align="left" ,

, 29 , , 29 , , 34.6 , , .441 , , .253 , , .860 , , 6.6 , , 3.2 , , 1.3 , , 1.3 , , 2.3 , , 16.2 , - , align="left" ,

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, align="left" ,

, 4 , , 4 , , 22.8 , , .423 , , .286 , , .714 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 7.3 , - , align="left" ,

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, align="left" ,

, 37 , , 37 , , 33.5 , , .485 , , .298 , , .840 , , 8.5 , , 2.5 , , 1.6 , , 1.2 , , 2.4 , , 21.5 , - , align="left" ,

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, align="left" ,

, 34 , , 34 , , 34.7 , , .492 , , .310 , , .804 , , 9.7 , , 3.4, , 1.9 , , 1.4 , , 2.1 , , 20.4 , - class="sortbottom" , rowspan=2 align="center" , Career , align="left" , 6 years, 1 team , 160 , , 160 , , 33.7 , , .483 , , .321 , , .821 , , 7.9 , , 2.9 , , 1.7 , , 1.2 , , 2.2 , , 17.4 , - class="sortbottom" , align="center", All-Star , 4 , , 0 , , 9.1 , , .458 , , .200 , , 1.000 , , 3.3 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 6.5

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

, align="left" ,

, 1 , , 1 , , style="background:#d3d3d3;", 38.0° , , .727 , , .333 , , .500 , , 10.0 , , 3.0 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 4.0 , , 19.0 , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" ,

, 4 , , 4 , , 34.3 , , .500 , , .538 , , .625 , , 9.0 , , 3.0 , , 0.5 , , style="background:#d3d3d3;", 2.5° , , 2.0 , , 16.5 , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" ,

, 1 , , 1 , , 35.0 , , .273 , , style="background:#d3d3d3;", 1.000° , , — , , 4.0 , , 2.0 , , style="background:#d3d3d3;", 3.0° , , 0.0 , , 4.0 , , 8.0 , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" ,

, 3 , , 3 , , 36.0 , , .509 , , .333 , , .867 , , 8.0 , , 1.7 , , 0.7 , , 1.3 , , 2.3 , , 23.7 , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" ,

, style="background:#d3d3d3;", 12° , , style="background:#d3d3d3;", 12° , , style="background:#d3d3d3;", 38.8° , , .525 , , .414 , , .847 , , 9.0 , , 3.3 , , 2.1 , , 1.9 , , 2.7 , , 23.8 , - class="sortbottom" , align="left" , Career , align="left" , 5 years, 1 team , 21 , , 21 , , 37.3 , , .517 , , .453 , , .818 , , 8.7 , , 3.0 , , 1.6 , , 1.8 , , 2.5 , , 21.4

College

Personal life

Off the court, Collier loves to read, especially mystery novels by

Ruth Ware Ruth Warburton (born 1977), known by the alias Ruth Ware, is a British psychological thriller author. Her novels include ''In a Dark, Dark Wood'' (2015), ''The Woman in Cabin 10'' (2016), ''The Lying Game'' (2017), ''The Death of Mrs Westaway'' ( ...

. In October 2019, she became engaged to Alex Bazzell, a basketball skills coach. In November 2021, they announced Collier was pregnant with their first child, a baby girl. On May 25, 2022, Collier gave birth to their daughter, 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 also partnering with

Opill Opill is a birth control pill formulated from norgestrel, which works to thicken the cervical mucus and prevent pregnancy. Opill is manufactured by HRA Pharma and is the first ever over-the-counter daily oral contraceptive to be sold in the Uni ...

, the first over-the-counter birth control pill in the U.S., to promote reproductive rights and sexual health. In April 2025 she signed with the Jordan Brand after being with Nike for the previous five years. On October 4, 2024, a video showed Collier talking with a fan using

ASL American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States and most of Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that is expressed by employ ...

. Collier learned sign language while growing up. Collier is the granddaughter of Gershon Collier, a

Sierra Leone Creole The Sierra Leone Creole people () are an ethnic group of Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone Creole people are lineal descendant, descendants of freed African-American, Afro-Caribbean, and Sierra Leone Liberated African, Liberated African slaves who ...

lawyer, former

ambassador to the United Nations An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

, former

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

to the United States, and, briefly, chief justice of

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

. Later, an expatriate, educator, and

Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. They are one ...

and

Giants A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore. Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to: Mythology and religion *Giants (Greek mythology) * Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'g ...

fan, he died two years before she was born. Her father, Gamal Collier, explained to the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' 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 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in 1961. Her father was briefly a professional boxer in five fights. During the WNBA season, her father has been helping support Collier and Bazzell with caring for his granddaughter before games to enable Collier to rest more. Her younger brother Kai played football at

Lindenwood University Lindenwood University is a private university in St. Charles, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1832 by George Champlin Sibley and Mary Easton Sibley as The Lindenwood School for Girls, it is the second-oldest higher-education institution wes ...

St. Charles, Missouri Saint Charles (commonly abbreviated St. Charles) is a city in, and the county seat of, St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 70,493 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making St. Charles the List of cities in ...

References

External links

* *
Napheesa Collier
at

USA Basketball USA Basketball (USAB) is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA, and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States ...

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Collier, Napheesa 1996 births Living people All-American college women's basketball players American people of Sierra Leonean descent American women's basketball players Basketball players at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics Basketball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2024 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Missouri McDonald's High School All-Americans Minnesota Lynx draft picks Minnesota Lynx players Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball) Power forwards Sierra Leone Creole people Sportspeople from Jefferson City, Missouri Sportspeople of Sierra Leonean descent UConn Huskies women's basketball players United States women's national basketball team players Unrivaled basketball players WNBA All-Stars Youth Olympic gold medalists for the United States American women podcasters 21st-century American sportswomen