Napheesa Collier facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Napheesa Collier

Collier with the Minnesota Lynx in 2024
No. 24 – Minnesota Lynx
Power forward
Personal information
Born	(1996-09-23) September 23, 1996 (age 28) Jefferson City, Missouri, U.S.
High school	Jefferson City (Jefferson City, Missouri) Incarnate Word Academy (Bel-Nor, Missouri)
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
College	UConn (2015–2019)
NBA Draft	2019 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6th overall
Selected by the Minnesota Lynx
Pro career	2019–present
League	WNBA
Career history
2019–present	Minnesota Lynx
2020–2021	Lattes-Montpellier
2023–2024	Fenerbahçe
2025–present	Lunar Owls BC
Career highlights and awards
5× WNBA All-Star (2019, 2021, 2023–2025) 2× All-WNBA First Team (2023, 2024) All-WNBA Second Team (2020) WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2024) WNBA All-Defensive First Team (2024) 2× WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2020, 2023) WNBA Rookie of the Year (2019) WNBA All-Rookie Team (2019) WNBA Commissioner's Cup champion (2024) WNBA Commissioner's Cup MVP (2024) NCAA champion (2016) Unrivaled MVP (2025) Unrivaled First-team all-Unrivaled (2025) EuroLeague champion (2024) FIBA Europe SuperCup Women champion (2023) FIBA Europe SuperCup Women MVP (2023) Turkish Super League champion (2024) Triple Crown (2024) Katrina McClain Award (2019) 2× First-team All-American – AP (2017, 2019) First-team All-American – USBWA (2019) Third-team All-American – AP (2018) 2× WBCA Coaches' All-American (2017, 2019) All-American – USBWA (2017) 2× AAC Player of the Year (2017, 2019) AAC Defensive Player of the Year (2019) AAC Tournament MVP (2019) 3× First-team All-AAC (2017–2019) AAC All-Freshman Team (2016) Miss Show-Me Basketball (2015) McDonald's All-American (2015)
Medals Women's basketball Representing the  United States Olympic Games Gold 2020 Tokyo Team Gold 2024 Paris Team FIBA AmeriCup Gold 2019 Puerto Rico Team FIBA Under-19 World Cup Gold 2015 Russia Team FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship Gold 2014 United States Team Women's 3x3 basketball Representing the  United States Youth Olympic Games Gold 2014 China Team

Napheesa Collier (born September 23, 1996), also known as "Phee", is an American professional basketball player. She plays for the Minnesota Lynx in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Napheesa also helped start a new basketball league called Unrivaled with fellow player Breanna Stewart.

After playing college basketball for the University of Connecticut Huskies, the Lynx picked Napheesa as the 6th player in the 2019 WNBA draft. She has won two Olympic gold medals with the United States women's national basketball team at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 games. She is also a vice president on the Women's National Basketball Players Association executive committee.

Early Life and Basketball Dreams

When Napheesa wanted to play basketball as a kid, the local team in Jefferson City, Missouri said they were full. So, her parents started a new team called the Lady Warriors. They found girls from other towns to join. The Lady Warriors even played in a national tournament! The team that first turned her away later asked her to join, but she stayed with her Lady Warriors.

Napheesa met famous basketball player Maya Moore, who was also from Jefferson City. Napheesa watched Maya play for the University of Connecticut and later for the Minnesota Lynx. After Maya's jersey was retired in 2024, a coach said that Maya inspired Napheesa to dream big.

High School Basketball Success

In her first year of high school at Jefferson City High School, Napheesa scored about 18 points and grabbed nearly 10 rebounds per game. In her second year, she moved to Incarnate Word Academy. There, she averaged an amazing 24.6 points and 12 rebounds per game. Her family moved to St. Louis because of her mom's job. Napheesa also ran track in high school. She won the Gatorade Missouri Player of the Year award twice. She was also a finalist for the national Naismith Award in 2015.

College Career at UConn

Napheesa Collier, being presented with awards reflecting 2000 points and 1000 rebounds

Napheesa had many offers from colleges, but she wanted to play for a team that could challenge the best. She visited UConn, a team that had won many championships. She saw how close the players were and decided to join them in 2015.

By the end of her time at UConn, Napheesa was one of the top players in the school's history. She ranked 3rd in points, 4th in rebounds, and 7th in blocks. She played in 112 games in a row, which is the 4th most at UConn. She also had 49 games where she scored double-digits in two different stats (like points and rebounds). In her final year, she averaged a "double-double" with 20.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.

Napheesa became only the fifth player at UConn to score over 2,000 points and grab over 1,000 rebounds. She joined UConn legends like Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart in this special club. She helped her team win the National Championship in 2016. She also reached the Final Four in all four of her college years. Napheesa holds the record for the most rebounds in a single season at UConn with 411. She also scored 792 points in a season, which is the second-highest ever, just behind Maya Moore.

Professional Career in the WNBA

Minnesota Lynx (2019–Present)

2019 Season: Rookie of the Year

The Minnesota Lynx picked Napheesa as the 6th player in the 2019 WNBA draft. In her very first WNBA game, she scored 27 points against the Chicago Sky. This was one of the highest-scoring debuts for a rookie ever! She played more minutes per game than any other WNBA player that year.

Collier in 2019

Napheesa became only the second rookie in WNBA history to get over 400 points, 200 rebounds, and 60 steals. She was also chosen for the All-Star team and the WNBA All-Rookie Team. For her amazing first year, she was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year. She averaged 13.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game.

2020 Season: Playing in the Bubble

In 2020, the WNBA season was played in a special "bubble" due to the pandemic. During this time, Napheesa started a podcast with A'ja Wilson called Tea with A & Phee. She was also chosen for the All-WNBA Second Team and the All-Defensive Second Team.

2021 Season: Another All-Star Selection

Napheesa was selected for her second All-Star game in 2021.

2022 Season: Return After Maternity Leave

Napheesa took time off for most of the 2022 season because her daughter was born in May 2022. She returned to play four games in August 2022. She wanted to play with Sylvia Fowles one last time before Sylvia retired.

2023 Season: Strong Comeback

Napheesa came back even stronger in 2023 and became the Lynx's new captain. In one game, she became only the second player in WNBA history to have 30+ points, 5+ rebounds, 5+ assists, and 5+ blocks in a single game. She returned to the All-Star game for her third time. She was also named to the All-WNBA First Team and the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team.

2024 Season: Defensive Player of the Year

Napheesa had an incredible 2024 season. She set a WNBA record by being the first player to have 30+ points, 8+ steals, 5+ rebounds, and 2+ blocks in a game. Her eight steals in that game were a new Lynx team record. She also won the MVP award when the Lynx won the 2024 WNBA Commissioner's Cup.

After the Olympics, Napheesa continued her amazing play. In one game, she had 18 rebounds, which was more than the entire opposing team! She became only the third WNBA player to do this. She was named Western Conference Player of the Week multiple times and Player of the Month for August 2024.

At the end of the regular season, Napheesa was named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. She was also chosen for the WNBA All-Defensive First Team. Maya Moore said that Napheesa was "hitting her prime" and that "the sky's the limit for her."

2024 Playoffs: Record-Breaking Performances

In the 2024 WNBA playoffs, Napheesa continued to shine. In the first game against the Phoenix Mercury, she scored 38 points. In the second game, she scored 42 points, tying the WNBA playoffs single-game record! She also set a WNBA record for the most points in the first two games of a playoff series with 80 points. She was the first WNBA player to score 35+ points in two playoff games in a row.

Finals

In Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, Napheesa became the first player to get 20+ points, 8+ rebounds, 6+ blocks, and 3+ steals in a playoff game. In Game 3, she broke a 15-year record for the most points in a single postseason with 249 points. By the end of the finals, she was the first player to lead the entire playoffs in points (285), rebounds (107), steals (25), and blocks (23). She also broke another record for the most combined steals and blocks in postseason history with 48.

2025 Season: Captaincy and All-Star

Napheesa started the 2025 season strong, averaging 29.5 points and 7.3 rebounds in her first few games. On June 29, she was named an All-Star and, for the first time, a team captain for the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game.

Playing Overseas

Napheesa has also played basketball in other countries during the WNBA off-season.

• In 2021, she played for Lattes-Montpellier in France and helped them win the Coupe De France Finale.
• In 2023 and 2024, she played for Fenerbahçe in Turkey. She won the Most Valuable Player award in the SuperCup Women championship. She also helped her team win the EuroLeague Women championship in April 2024, scoring 33 points in the final game.

Unrivaled League

In July 2023, Napheesa and Breanna Stewart announced they were starting a new professional women's basketball league called Unrivaled. This league gives WNBA players a chance to play and earn money during the WNBA off-season, instead of always going overseas. The league started in 2025 and features 36 players in a 3-on-3 and 1-on-1 format. Games are played in Miami from January to March. Napheesa plays for the Lunar Owls.

In February 2025, Napheesa won the Unrivaled 1x1 tournament and a $200,000 prize! Her win also meant each of her Lunar Owls teammates received $10,000. She was named MVP for the 2025 season.

National Team Career

In June 2021, Napheesa was chosen to play for the United States women's Olympic basketball team. This was her first time on an Olympic team. She and Team USA won the gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 games.

Napheesa was again chosen for the Olympic team to play at the 2024 Summer Olympics. She and the United States team won another gold medal, making it her second in a row and the United States' eighth consecutive gold medal in women's basketball.

Career Statistics

Here are some of Napheesa Collier's basketball statistics.

WNBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College

Personal Life

Off the court, Napheesa enjoys reading, especially mystery novels. In October 2019, she got engaged to Alex Bazzell, who is a basketball skills coach. They welcomed their daughter, Mila Sarah Bazzell, on May 25, 2022. Napheesa and Alex got married in St. Louis on October 7, 2022.

Napheesa is also involved in important causes. She joined EcoAthletes to help with climate action. She also partners with Opill to promote health education. In April 2025, she signed a deal with the Jordan Brand.

In October 2024, a video showed Napheesa talking with a fan using ASL. She learned sign language when she was growing up.

Family Background

Napheesa's grandfather, Gershon Collier, was a lawyer from Sierra Leone. He was an ambassador to the United Nations and the United States. He also helped Sierra Leone gain its independence from the United Kingdom in 1961. Napheesa's father, Gamal Collier, taught her the importance of being self-sufficient and responsible. He was also a professional boxer for a short time. During the WNBA season, her father helps care for Napheesa's daughter so Napheesa can rest.

Her younger brother, Kai, played football at Lindenwood University.

Images for kids

• 

  Collier right before tip-off of Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Finals.

See also

In Spanish: Napheesa Collier para niños