Napheesa Collier (born September 23, 1996) 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 (appr ...

player for the

Minnesota Lynx The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team won the WNBA title in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017. Founded pr ...

of the

Women’s National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Nation ...

(WNBA). 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 The 2019 WNBA draft was the league's draft for the 2019 WNBA season. On March 19, the league announced the draft would be held on April 10 at Nike New York headquarters. The first round was televised on ESPN2, and the second and third rounds were ...

. She participated in the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

games in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

as part of the United States Women's Basketball team that won the

Gold Medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

High school career

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 esta ...

Jefferson City, Missouri Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the capital of Missouri, United States. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 census, ranking as the 15th most populous city in the state. It is also the county seat of Cole County and the princip ...

, 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 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.

WNBA

Minnesota Lynx (2019-Present)

Collier was selected by the

as the 6th overall pick in the

. 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 club of the league's Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 20 ...

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

Candace Parker Candace Nicole Parker (born April 19, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was selected as the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA draft by the Los An ...

). She played 33.3 mpg, more minutes per game than any other WNBA player. 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). Catchings has won a WNBA champio ...

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

Maya Moore Maya April Moore (born June 11, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx, who is currently on sabbatical. Naming her their inaugural Performer of the Year in 2017, ''Sports Illustrated'' called Moore the greates ...

, 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 20 ...

) 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 fo ...

, and became an All-Star 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 in college, and helped lead the Ga ...

. 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 ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc. History Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including: ...

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

, 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 ...

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

, ''Tea with A & Phee''.

National team career

In June 2021, Collier was named to the United States Women's

Olympic basketball Basketball at the Summer Olympics has been a sport for men consistently since 1936. Prior to its inclusion as a medal sport, basketball was held as a demonstration event in 1904. Women's basketball made its debut in the Summer Olympics in 1976 ...

team to compete in Tokyo, Japan during the

, marking her first selection.

WNBA career statistics

Regular season

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2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

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Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

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2020 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 events, COVID- ...

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

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

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, 4 , , 4 , , 22.8 , , .423 , , .286 , , .714 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 7.3 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , 4 years, 1 team , 89 , , 89 , , 33.4 , , .478 , , .329 , , .826 , , 7.0 , , 2.9 , , 1.6 , , 1.1 , , 2.2 , , 14.6

Postseason

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, 1 , , 1 , , 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 , , 2.5 , , 2.0 , , 16.5 , - , align="left" ,

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, 1 , , 1 , , 35.0 , , .273 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , 4.0 , , 2.0 , , 3.0 , , 0.0 , , 4.0 , , 8.0 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , 3 years, 1 team , 6 , , 6 , , 35.0 , , .500 , , .556 , , .583 , , 8.3 , , 2.8 , , 1.2 , , 1.8 , , 2.3 , , 15.5

Career statistics

College

Personal life

Collier is the granddaughter of

Gershon Collier Gershon Beresford Onesimus Collier (February 16, 1927 – May 25, 1994) was a Sierra Leone Creole diplomat, chief justice of Sierra Leone and educator. His granddaughter is WNBA player Napheesa Collier. Career *He was called to the English Ba ...

, a

Sierra Leone Creole The Sierra Leone Creole people ( kri, Krio 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 Af ...

lawyer, former

ambassador to the United Nations A permanent representative to the United Nations (sometimes called a "UN ambassador")"History of Ambassadors", United States Mission to the United Nations, March 2011, webpagUSUN-a. is the head of a country's diplomatic mission to the United Nati ...

, 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 sov ...

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 by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

. Later, an expatriate, educator, and New York Yankees, Yankees 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 'gi ...

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

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' 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

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

in 1961. Her younger brother Kai plays football at

Lindenwood University Lindenwood University is a private university in St. Charles, Missouri. Founded in 1827 by George Champlin Sibley and Mary Easton Sibley as The Lindenwood School for Girls, it is the second-oldest higher-education institution west of the Missis ...

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 65,794 at the 2010 census, making St. Charles the ninth-largest city in Missouri. Situated on t ...

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

Ruth Ware Ruth Ware (born 1977), alias for Ruth Warburton, is a British psychological crime 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'' (201 ...

. 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.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Collier, Napheesa 1996 births Living people All-American college women's basketball players American women's basketball players Basketball players at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics Basketball players at the 2020 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 Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball) Power forwards (basketball) Sierra Leone Creole people Sportspeople from Jefferson City, Missouri UConn Huskies women's basketball players Youth Olympic gold medalists for the United States American people of Sierra Leonean descent Sportspeople of Sierra Leonean descent United States women's national basketball team players Women's National Basketball Association All-Stars African-American basketball players