Napheesa Collier (/nəˈfiːsəˈkɒljər/nə-FEE-səKOL-yər; born September 23, 1996),[1] nicknamed "Phee", is an American professionalbasketball player for theMinnesota Lynx of theWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for theLunar Owls ofUnrivaled. Collier is also a founder of theUnrivaled basketball league along withBreanna Stewart.[2] After playing college basketball for theUniversity of Connecticut Huskies, Collier was drafted by the Lynx with the 6th overall pick in the2019 WNBA draft. She has won two Olympic gold medals playing on theUnited States women's national basketball team in theTokyo 2020 and theParis 2024 games.[3][4] She is also a vice president on theWomen's National Basketball Players Association executive committee.[5]
When Collier wanted to play basketball, the onlyAmateur Athletic Union (AAU) team inJefferson City 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.[6] The Lady Warriors went on to compete in the nationalAAU tournament.[7][6] The team that originally denied Collier a chance to try out later offered her a spot, but she remained with the Lady Warriors.[6]
Collier met fellow basketball playerMaya Moore, who is also from Jefferson City, Missouri, and watched Moore play at the University of Connecticut and later for the Minnesota Lynx.[8] 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."[9]
In her freshman year, Collier played forJefferson City High School in Jefferson City, Missouri, where she averaged 17.9 points and 9.8 rebounds. In her sophomore year, she transferred toIncarnate Word Academy,[10] 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.[11] Collier also competed on her high school track team. She was the 2013 and 2015Gatorade Missouri Player of the Year, one of five finalists for the 2015Naismith Award as national Player of the Year andWomen's Basketball Coaches Association High School All-American.[12]
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.[6]
At the end of her time at UConn, Collier ranked 3rd all-time in career 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.[13] 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 theKatrina 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.
Collier was selected by theMinnesota Lynx as the 6th overall pick in the2019 WNBA draft. She was asked to play small forward, then power forward, and later, small forward.[14] In her first WNBA game, Collier scored 27 points against theChicago Sky, the second-highest debut ever for any rookie (afterCandace Parker).[15] She played 33.3 minutes per game, the highest among all WNBA players.[15]
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She is the second rookie (afterTamika Catchings) inWNBA history to record 400 points, 200 rebounds and 60 steals.[16] Collier is the fourth player (afterMaya Moore, Catchings, andSheryl Swoopes) to have a season with 400 points, 200 rebounds, 75 assists, 50 steals, 25 blocks and 25 made three-pointers.[15] Collier was voted to the 2019WNBA All-Rookie Team, and made anAll-Star as an injury replacement forA'ja Wilson.[15]
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.[15] She was chosenESPNW,Associated Press, andWNBA Rookie of the Year.[17]
In the 2020 season while in the WNBA bubble, Collier started a podcast withA'ja Wilson,Tea with A & Phee, which was picked up byJust Women's Sports the next year.[18][19] She was selected for the All-WNBA Second Team and the All-Defensive Second Team for the first time.[20][21]
Collier was selected for her second All-Star game.[22]
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 withSylvia Fowles, who retired from the Lynx and the WNBA after the 2022 season.[23]
Collier returned in 2023 stronger and had an MVP-caliber season for the Lynx in her first as the team's new captain.[24][25] 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.[26] She returned to the All-Star game for her third appearance.[26] She was selected for the All-WNBA First Team for the first time.[27] She was also selected for the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team for the second time.[28] She was also named to the Minnesota Lynx All-25 Team for the team's 25th anniversary.[29]
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.[30] 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."[31] 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.[32] Her eight steals in the game set a new Lynx franchise record.[33] 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.[34]
After the Olympic break, Collier continued her MVP-level play.[citation needed] In the August 23, 2024, game against theLas Vegas Aces, 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.[35] 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%.[36]
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.[37] She was later named the Western Conference Player of the Month for August 2024, which was the first time Collier received this award.[38] For the third time in the season, Collier was named the WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week for September 2–8.[39]
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.[40] She was one of two players (along withA'ja Wilson) to be selected unanimously. On September 29, 2024, before the Lynx began their semifinals series against theConnecticut Sun, Collier was named theWNBA Defensive Player of the Year and also named to the WNBA All-Defensive First Team.[41][42] 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.[43] 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."[8]
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.[44] 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).[45] She was also the first WNBA player to score 35+ points in consecutive postseason games.[46] 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.[47]
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.[48] 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.[49] Collier achieved her record in 10 games, while it took Taurasi 11 games to set hers.[49] 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).[50] 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.[51]
On May 28, 2025, Collier was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for the league.[52] 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."[52] Collier missed the May 30, 2025, game against the Phoenix Mercury because of a sore knee.[53]
On June 29, Collier was named as an All-Star and announced as team captain for the2025 WNBA All-Star Game, her first captaincy in her WNBA career.[54][55]
She was named the Western Conference Player of the Month for May, June, and July.[56]
At the conclusion of the 2025 season she had become the second WNBA player to join the50-40-90 club afterElena Delle Donne had done so in2019 as Collier ended the season with shooting percentages of 53% from the field, 40% from three, and 91% from the free throw line.[57][58]
Collier played forLattes-Montpellier in France in 2021, where she was part of the team that won the Coupe De France Finale in Paris.[59]
In 2023, Collier played forFenerbahçe in the Turkish Super League on a short-term contract, along with her Lynx teammate,Kayla McBride.[60] During her short time with the team, she was named Most Valuable Player in the SuperCup Women championship.[61] She returned to the team in January 2024.[62] She was part of the team that won the club's second straight EuroLeague Women championship in April 2024.[63] Collier had 33 points in the final, which was the second highest ever.[64]
In July 2023, Collier announced she andBreanna Stewart were 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 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.[65] On July 10, 2024, Collier was formally announced to appear and play in the inaugural season of Unrivaled.[66] She plays forLunar Owls.[67]
On February 14, 2025, Collier won the Unrivaled 1x1 tournament and the $200,000 prize.[68] Her win also meant each of her Lunar Owls teammates got $10,000.
Collier was named MVP for the2025 season.[69]
In June 2021, Collier was named to the United States women'sOlympic basketball team to compete in the2020 Summer Olympics, marking her first selection to an Olympic roster.[3][70] She and Team USA went on to win the gold medal in the tournament, defeatingJapan 90–75 in the final.[71]
Collier was again named to the women's Olympic roster to compete at the2024 Summer Olympics.[72][73] Collier and the United States defeatedFrance 67–66 in thefinal, earning Collier her second consecutive gold medal and the United States' eighth consecutive gold medal.[4][74]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
| * | Denotes seasons in which Collier won anNCAA championship |
Stats current through game on July 12, 2025
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Minnesota | 34 | 34 | 33.3 | .490 | .361 | .792 | 6.6 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 13.1 |
| 2020 | Minnesota | 22 | 22 | 34.2 | .523 | .408 | .829 | 9.0 | 3.3 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 16.1 |
| 2021 | Minnesota | 29 | 29 | 34.6 | .441 | .253 | .860 | 6.6 | 3.2 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 16.2 |
| 2022 | Minnesota | 4 | 4 | 22.8 | .423 | .286 | .714 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 7.3 |
| 2023 | Minnesota | 37 | 37 | 33.5 | .485 | .298 | .840 | 8.5 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 2.4 | 21.5 |
| 2024 | Minnesota | 34 | 34 | 34.7 | .492 | .310 | .804 | 9.7 | 3.4 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 20.4 |
| 2025 | Minnesota | 33 | 33 | 32.3 | .531 | .403 | .906 | 7.3 | 3.2 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 2.1 | 22.9 |
| Career | 7 years, 1 team | 193 | 193 | 33.5 | .492 | .336 | .842 | 7.8 | 3.0 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 18.4 |
| All-Star | 5 | 1 | 11.0 | .600 | .400 | 1.000 | 4.4 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 12.4 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Minnesota | 1 | 1 | 38.0° | .727 | .333 | .500 | 10.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 19.0 |
| 2020 | Minnesota | 4 | 4 | 34.3 | .500 | .538 | .625 | 9.0 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 2.5° | 2.0 | 16.5 |
| 2021 | Minnesota | 1 | 1 | 35.0 | .273 | 1.000° | — | 4.0 | 2.0 | 3.0° | 0.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 |
| 2023 | Minnesota | 3 | 3 | 36.0 | .509 | .333 | .867 | 8.0 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 23.7 |
| 2024 | Minnesota | 12° | 12° | 38.8° | .525 | .414 | .847 | 8.9 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 23.8 |
| 2025 | Minnesota | 5 | 5 | 34.8 | .538 | .280 | .714 | 6.8 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 20.6 |
| Career | 6 years, 1 team | 26 | 26 | 36.8 | .521 | .397 | .805 | 8.3 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 21.2 |
| Year | Team | GP | Points | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16* | UConn | 38 | 258 | .533 | .154 | .917 | 5.2 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 6.8 |
| 2016–17 | UConn | 37 | 754 | .678 | .431 | .818 | 9.1 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 20.4° |
| 2017–18 | UConn | 37 | 597 | .583 | .344 | .786 | 7.4 | 3.3 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 16.1 |
| 2018–19 | UConn | 38 | 792 | .612 | .283 | .697 | 10.8 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 20.8° |
| Career | 150 | 2,401 | .601 | .303 | .804 | 8.1 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 16.1 |
Off the court, Collier loves to read, especially mystery novels byRuth Ware.[75] 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.[76] On May 25, 2022, Collier gave birth to their daughter, Mila Sarah Bazzell.[77] On October 7, 2022, Collier and Bazzell were married in St. Louis.[78]
Collier became the first WNBA player to join EcoAthletes to work on climate action.[79] Collier is also partnering withOpill, the first over-the-counter birth control pill in the U.S., to promote reproductive rights and sexual health.[80] In April 2025 she signed with the Jordan Brand after being with Nike for the previous five years.[81]
On October 4, 2024, a video showed Collier talking with a fan usingASL.[82] Collier learned sign language while growing up.[83]
Collier is the granddaughter ofGershon Collier, aSierra Leone Creole lawyer, formerambassador to the United Nations, formerambassador to the United States, and, briefly,chief justice ofSierra Leone.[84] He died two years before she was born.[84] Her father, Gamal Collier, explained to theNew York Times that he brought up Collier to know the "importance of self-sufficiency and responsibility and upholding the family name."[84] Gershon had helpedSierra Leone gain its independence from theUnited Kingdom in 1961.[84] Her father was briefly a professional boxer in five fights.[11] 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.[85]
Her younger brother Kai played football atLindenwood University inSt. Charles, Missouri.[84]
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