Typically, you must sit again and mentally rewind the clock to see simply how far you’ve come and all that you simply’ve achieved. Three years in the past, Napheesa Collier lined WSLAM Vol. 2 with the coverline “Superwoman.” Simply two weeks postpartum, Collier was on set along with her new child daughter, Mila, displaying her energy as a hooper and as a mom.
“I’m like a brand new mom, simply making an attempt to determine life,” Collier says, pondering again to her mindset on that day. “I really feel far more certain in myself and like motherhood 1751302151,” she says. “I’m again to taking part in, in order that feels actually good. Being round my teammates once more. I simply really feel far more grounded in my life. That point was so unsure. Every thing was model new.”
Immediately, on set with Collier—higher recognized in these elements as Queen Phee—you possibly can see a change. She’s now a two-time Olympic Gold medalist, a WNBA finalist, the co-founder of Unequalled, the unmistakable chief of her staff and now a captain for the 2025 WNBA All-Star Sport. As we went to press, Collier was averaging a League-leading 24.5 ppg together with 8.4 rpg and three.8 apg for the League-leading Lynx.
Three years have flown by, however one factor stays the identical: Collier continues to be a superwoman.
SLAM: You had been the primary Western Convention Participant of the Month this season. What has modified for you from final yr to this yr?
NAPHEESA COLLIER: You already know, final yr felt prefer it was a cheerful accident. Yearly you strive your finest, in fact, however we occurred to have the perfect staff chemistry-wise after which we additionally occurred to be actually good basketball gamers. And to have each of these issues—it sounds small, but it surely’s actually uncommon while you love your entire teammates and also you guys are good at basketball on the identical time. So we type of fell into that final yr. And so now we all know what it may be. I believe simply ensuring that we don’t lose that chance. This yr, that’s what it appears like—we need to make the perfect of it and profit from this yr.
SLAM: You’ve performed below Coach Cheryl Reeve your entire skilled profession. What’s it about her teaching fashion that has pushed you to develop?
NC: I believe Cheryl does a very nice job of placing folks in locations to achieve success. She brings out the perfect in you as a participant, and he or she is aware of the place you’re going to suit properly into the staff and how you can get that out of you. So she’s actually taught me, like, how you can reap the benefits of the belongings you’re actually good at, and clearly work on the issues you could. She type of makes you take a look at the sport just a little bit extra technically, and I believe that makes you a greater participant.
SLAM: There are such a lot of nice former Lynx gamers. Which veterans have had the largest impression on you?
NC: That’s so laborious as a result of we’ve got two [Rebekkah Brunson and Lindsay Whalen] on the teaching workers. However I imply, Mama Syl [Sylvia Fowles] is unquestionably one in all my favorites. I performed along with her for 4 years. She’s simply, like, the perfect individual you ever need to meet. So I’ve to say she’s positively one in all my favorites.
SLAM: Are you able to give us a narrative through the time you performed collectively?
NC: Syl was the primary person who welcomed me once I got here to the Lynx, the very first day of coaching camp, which—she’s, like, a Corridor of Fame participant, MVP, Defensive Participant of the 12 months. She’s like, What’s up child? For those who ever want something, you come to me, and he or she simply, like, received me in an enormous bear hug. I used to be squished on her. And that’s simply who she is. In order that was superior to have her as my vet coming into the League, and now nonetheless she texts me after each sport day. You already know, Good job, or Good lucok, or no matter it’s. She’s superior.
SLAM: You’re on this interval of your profession the place you’re not but a vet…
NC: Thanks for saying that.
SLAM: Over the previous couple of years, you’ve seen the League develop, however you’ve additionally grown your self as a participant. How has that transition been?
NC: Yeah, I believe it’s simply extra duty for the youthful folks in your staff. I talked earlier about how Syl made me really feel as a rookie, so inviting. And now it’s my job to do this for the youthful folks. You see what that duty is. That is my seventh season. I nonetheless really feel younger on the within, however now I’ve to understand that it’s my job to care for the youthful ones. So having that transition was just a little bit tougher a pair years in the past when it began.
SLAM: Wanting again, are you able to consider a second in your profession that felt small on the time however ended up altering every thing?
NC: Getting drafted to Minnesota, as a result of you don’t have any management over the place you get drafted. And also you all the time suppose, Wherever I am going, you’re gonna make the perfect of it. However I’m so fortunate to have gotten drafted right here, and it’s modified the trajectory of my complete profession. So it may need appeared small on the time—like, clearly not small within the sense that you simply’re getting drafted and it’s so thrilling, however you don’t have any management and also you’re gonna go wherever you go. You need to go there. However I’m so fortunate that it occurred that method. And once I received drafted right here, that positively modified my life.
SLAM: If we had been to take all of the titles and accolades away, how would you describe your self at your core?
NC: I really feel like mom is a big one—mom and spouse. I’m so household centered. I take quite a lot of satisfaction in these areas. I’m a household individual. At my core, I really like simply decompressing, being round my household. I’d a lot moderately have an evening and play video games with my household than be out wherever else.
SLAM: What does an ideal off-day appear like?
NC: An ideal off-day for me—it relies on if it’s a weekend or a college day, or Mila, if it’s a college day, you recognize, she’s in school for just a little bit so I get a while to chill out. I’ll most likely—that is going to sound boring—however get errands achieved. Getting that achieved for me is enjoyable now, so I don’t know, shopping for stuff for my home, or taking a nap is superior, binging some exhibits, simply doing, like, lazy stuff is the right day.
SLAM: What drives you now that perhaps didn’t drive you early on in your profession?
NC: Undoubtedly my household, my daughter. It simply places so many issues into perspective. Like I stated earlier than, basketball has by no means been crucial factor in my life, but it surely was the largest factor for a very very long time. And so now there are simply so many extra issues which might be a lot extra vital to me. And it actually grounds you, it makes you see that it’s not so vital. Like, we’re taking part in a sport on the finish of the day, and taking part in the sport is admittedly vital, however my household is the primary all the time. So whether or not I’ve a superb day or a foul day, Mila on the finish of the day, she’s like, “Mama!” [and] runs into your arms. It simply makes every thing higher. So my why has positively modified in that method.
SLAM: How do you handle the chaos of every thing that the season brings?
NC: I don’t really feel like I take work house with me. I’ve by no means been one which was obsessive about basketball. I actually love to do different issues in my life. And so positively, I really like napping. I’ve all the time cherished napping. So napping is primary when I’ve time, however, additionally, like beginning exhibits or watching motion pictures, doing issues away from basketball, actually type of fills my cup again up so I can provide my all when I’m taking part in.
SLAM: You received your second Olympic God medal final summer time with Workforce USA. Does it really feel just like the Olympics had been simply yesterday or truly nearly a yr in the past?
NC: Actually, each. As a result of once I give it some thought, that it’s been nearly a yr, it’s loopy—a lot has occurred in between then [and now]. Additionally, it’s so vivid in my thoughts that it feels prefer it may very well be yesterday. However then I believe, after that we went to the WNBA Finals, we launched Unequalled—I’ve achieved all this stuff since then. So it’s type of like that on the identical time. It feels distant and prefer it simply occurred.
SLAM: The panorama of ladies’s basketball has been continuously rising and evolving. If you suppose again to your rookie season, did you ever think about this could be the truth?
NC: No, actually. I imply, it’s loopy, as a result of often change occurs so slowly, you possibly can’t actually observe it. Like, it occurs little by little, and rapidly you take a look at the place you might be and it’s totally different. This modification has occurred so quick. You may observe yr by yr how totally different it’s. So it’s superb to be part of. I didn’t know if this could occur [during] my profession, so to see it occur so shortly, it’s so enjoyable to be part of.
SLAM: Your involvement within the development has not gone unnoticed, with the creation of a brand new neighborhood in Unequalled. As a participant, trailblazer and chief throughout the league, how would you describe this time in ladies’s basketball?
NC: I believe it’s similar to such a time of empowerment, actually, like we maintain probably the most playing cards we’ve ever held, probably the most energy that we’ve ever held as ladies athletes. Simply the best way that folks view ladies’s sports activities, the accessibility to us is greater than it’s ever been, the supply, the best way that you simply’re in a position to see us on TV greater than ever. Like, we nonetheless need to make quite a lot of adjustments in that space, but it surely’s higher than it’s ever been, and you may see the expansion that’s occurring due to that. And so, yeah, I simply really feel like we’re in a time the place you possibly can see the playing cards, like, altering arms nearly, or the facility the gamers clearly have probably the most energy. And it’s clearly, as a participant, a very enjoyable time to be part of ladies’s sports activities.
SLAM: Constructing the League one brick at a time, you’ve all the time confused the significance of the W being an area to play and to speculate. Now seeing the enterprise facet, what are some classes you’ve picked up?
NC: I believe you see what occurs while you put money into ladies’s sports activities—like, while you pay the gamers accordingly, while you give them an opportunity to be homeowners in a league. I believe it’s unimaginable. Simply the buy-in that you simply get from the gamers, how properly it’s obtained by the followers. You additionally get just a little bit the place the League facet comes from. Clearly as gamers, we need to ask for probably the most sum of money. And also you see the enterprise facet the place you’ve gotten X bills. What I do suppose is there are areas the place we might push the boundaries some extra.
SLAM: If somebody 10 years from now says, “Napheesa modified the League,” what do you hope they imply?
NC: I hope by “change the league” they imply positively by means of Unequalled. I hope Unequalled is flourishing in that method, and due to that, it’s pushed the envelope in all of ladies’s sports activities [and] we’re altering what it means to pay and deal with ladies’s athletes. So I hope that we’re trailblazers in that method—that’s the objective of what Unequalled is.
There’s nonetheless so much I need to accomplish as a participant, too. So I hope I alter the League in that method. I need to win championships, I need to win various things, so in each of these areas, I hope I depart a mark.
Portraits by Matthew Coughlin.
