Napheesa Collier Biography Born on September 23, 1996, Napheesa Collier is an American professional basketball player who plays for Fenerbahçe in the Women’s Basketball Super League, Euroleague Women, and the Minnesota Lynx in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). Collier was selected by the Lynx with the sixth overall choice in the 2019 WNBA draft after competing for the University of Connecticut Huskies in college basketball. As a member of the American women’s national basketball team in the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics, she has won two gold medals.
Napheesa Collier Biography
Professional WNBA player Napheesa Collier is a power forward for the Minnesota Lynx. The Minnesota Lynx selected her sixth overall in the 2019 WNBA Draft, and as of July 2024, she has remained with them. The most recent WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Collier won was in 2024, when she also received the MVP award. She was on two All-Defensive Second teams and is a four-time WNBA All-Star. In 2019, she was also named the WNBA Rookie of the Year, and the following year, she was selected for the first time to the All-WNBA Second Team. In addition, Collier is an NCAA Champion, having taken home the esteemed title while competing for the University of Connecticut in 2016. Among her college achievements are two nominations for the WBCA Coaches All-American team in 2017.
Napheesa Collier Biography Details
| Born | September 23, 1996 (age 27)
Jefferson City, Missouri, U.S. |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
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| Listed weight | 179 lb (81 kg) |
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| Category | Football Biographies |
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Napheesa Collier
Napheesa Collier is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women’s National Basketball Association and Fenerbahçe of the Women’s Basketball Super League, Euroleague Women.
Born: 23 September 1996 (age 27 years), Jefferson City, Missouri, United States
Parents: Gamal Collier, Sarah Collier
Teammates: Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, MORE
Height: 1.85 m
Current teams: Minnesota Lynx (#24 / Forward), United States of America, United States
Siblings: Kai Collier
Early life
Collier’s parents founded the Lady Warriors basketball team after the sole Jefferson City Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team refused to let her try out. They enlisted girls from other surrounding communities. The Lady Warriors proceeded to participate in the national AAU competition. Collier was given a spot by the team that had previously refused to even allow her to try out, but she chose to stay with the Lady Warriors.
Collier was a student at Jefferson City High School in Jefferson City, Missouri, during her freshman year. She averaged 17.9 points and 9.8 rebounds. She transferred to Incarnate Word Academy for her sophomore year, when she averaged a career-high 24.6 points and 12 rebounds. Collier participated in track competitions while in high school. She was the Gatorade Missouri Player of the Year in 2013 and 2015, a Women’s Basketball Coaches Association High School All-American, and one of five finalists for the 2015 Naismith Award in the national player of the year category.
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College career
Collier finished her time at UConn third in scoring, fourth in rebounding, and seventh in blocks. She finished her career with 49 double-doubles, is fourth in the number of straight starts at UConn with 112, and averaged a double-double (20.8/10.8) during her last season. Her inclusion in the elite 2000/1000 club made her the fifth player, behind UConn greats Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Breanna Stewart, and Rebecca Lobo. In the game against Louisville, Collier grabbed 1000 rebounds, and the very following game against Cincinnati, he scored 2000 points. She made it to the Final Four each of her four years at UConn and was a member of the Connecticut Huskies National Champion squad in 2016. The Katrina McClain Award for Power Forward of the Year was given to her by the.
In her sophomore and senior years, she was named to the AP First Team All-American; in her junior season, she was named to the Second Team. Collier finished second in the scoring standings with 792 points, only behind Maya Moore, and has the most rebounds (411) in a season at UConn. Collier and Katie Lou Samuelson together recorded the highest points in UConn WBB history (4688), surpassing their rookie season teammates B. Stewart and M. Jefferson.
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Professional career
In the 2019 WNBA draft, Collier was chosen as the sixth overall choice by the Minnesota Lynx. She was instructed to play power forward first, then small forward. Collier’s 27 points in her WNBA debut against the Chicago Sky was the second-highest debut point total for a rookie (tied with Candace Parker). Of all WNBA players, she played the most minutes per game—33.3%. She is the second rookie in WNBA history to record 400 points, 200 rebounds, and 60 steals, the other being Tamika Catchings. Collier is the fourth player in history to record a season with 400 points, 200 rebounds, 75 assists, 50 steals, 25 blocks, and 25 three-pointers made, behind Maya Moore, Tracy Catchings, and Sheryl Swoopes. Collier was selected as a WNBA All-Rookie for 2019.
National team career
Collier made her debut on an Olympic roster when she was selected in June 2021 to play for the US women’s Olympic basketball team in the 2020 Summer Olympics. After defeating Japan 90–75 in the championship game, she and Team USA went on to win the gold medal in the competition. Collier was once more added to the Olympic roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics for women. In the final, Collier and the US team defeated France 67-66, giving Collier her second gold medal in a row and the US team their eighth consecutive gold medal.
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Personal life
Outside of the court, Collier enjoys reading, particularly Ruth Ware mysteries. She got engaged to basketball skills coach Alex Bazzell in October 2019. They revealed Collier was expecting their first child, a girl, in November 2021. Collier gave birth to their daughter, Mila Sarah Bazzell, on May 25, 2022. Collier and Bazzell were wed in St. Louis on October 7, 2022. In order to focus on climate action, Collier became the first player in the WNBA to join EcoAthletes. Collier is the granddaughter of Gershon Collier, a Creole lawyer from Sierra Leone who has served as ambassador to the US, the UN, and—for a brief period of time—as chief judge of Sierra Leone. Two years before to his death, he was an expatriate, a schoolteacher, and a devotee of the Yankees and Giants.
Napheesa Collier Family Background
Napheesa Collier was born to parents Gamal and Sarah Collier. Her father immigrated to the US from Sierra Leone, where his father was an ambassador to the United States. Collier’s mother is of Caucasian descent. She has a brother, Kai, who is 15 months younger than her and played football at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. She and her brother used to be very competitive growing up and often played football with their father.
Napheesa Collier husband
Napheesa Collier is currently married to Alex Bazzell, as of July 2024. Bazzell is a professional NBA/WNBA trainer and skills coach. He has trained the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Trae Young and Kyrie Irving. Bazzell cites his inspiration to be the late great Kobe “Bean” Bryant, whose tireless work ethic made a lasting impression on Bazzell, a trait he carries to this day.
Napheesa Collier Kids
Napheesa Collier has one girl with her husband Alex Bazzell, who was born in May 2022 and was named Mila Sarah Bazzell.
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About
WNBA power forward who was originally selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2019 Draft by the Minnesota Lynx. Following that season, she was named WNBA Rookie of the Year and a member of the WNBA All-Rookie Team. Since then, she has earned multiple WNBA All-Star Game appearances and an Olympic Gold Medal.
Before Fame
She was a two-time All-American while at the University of Connecticut. She was also twice named AAC Player of the Year.
Trivia
She scored 27 points in her WNBA debut, which is the second most in league history behind Candace Parker. She would eventually finish the season with 400 points, 200 rebounds, and 60 steals, finishing just shy of Tamika Catchings’ rookie record.
Associated With
She was coached by Geno Auriemma while at UCONN.
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Napheesa Collier Net Worth & Salary
Napheesa Collier is currently on a 3-year $552,516 deal with the Minnesota Lynx, with an average salary of $184,172, which was signed in 2023 and will last till 2025. She will earn a base salary of $208,219 in 2024, with a cap hit of $208,219.
