History of Napheesa Collier in Timeline

Napheesa "Phee" Collier is a professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA and a founder of the Unrivaled basketball league alongside Breanna Stewart. She played college basketball for the UConn Huskies before being drafted 6th overall by the Lynx in 2019. Collier has achieved significant success, including winning two Olympic gold medals with the United States women's national basketball team in the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 games. She also serves as a vice president on the Women's National Basketball Players Association executive committee, demonstrating her leadership within the sport.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1961: Sierra Leone Independence

In 1961, Gershon Collier helped Sierra Leone gain its independence from the United Kingdom. Gershon is Napheesa Collier's grandfather.

September 23, 1996: Napheesa Collier's Birth

On September 23, 1996, Napheesa Collier, nicknamed "Phee", was born. She is now an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA.

Others born on this day/year

2000: 2000/1000 Club

At the end of her UConn career, Napheesa Collier became the fifth player in the exclusive 2000/1000 club.

2009: Catchings' Record

By the end of the finals in 2024, Collier broke Tamika Catchings' 2009 record and now holds the record for the most steals and blocks in postseason play with a total of 48.

2013: Gatorade Missouri Player of the Year

In 2013, Napheesa Collier was named Gatorade Missouri Player of the Year.

2015: Joined UConn Team

In 2015, Napheesa Collier chose to join the UConn team for her freshman year after visiting the campus and witnessing the camaraderie among players.

2015: Gatorade Missouri Player of the Year and Naismith Award Finalist

In 2015, Napheesa Collier was named Gatorade Missouri Player of the Year and was 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.

2016: National Champion

In 2016, Napheesa Collier was a member of the Connecticut Huskies National Champion team.

2019: Drafted to the WNBA

In 2019, Napheesa Collier was drafted by the Minnesota Lynx with the 6th overall pick in the WNBA draft after playing college basketball for the University of Connecticut Huskies.

2019: Drafted by the Minnesota Lynx

In 2019, Napheesa Collier was selected by the Minnesota Lynx as the 6th overall pick in the WNBA draft. In her first WNBA game, Collier scored 27 points against the Chicago Sky.

2019: WNBA All-Rookie Team and All-Star Selection

In 2019, Napheesa Collier was voted to the WNBA All-Rookie Team, and made an All-Star as an injury replacement for A'ja Wilson.

2020: Started Podcast and All-WNBA Selection

During the 2020 season in the WNBA bubble, Napheesa Collier started a podcast with A'ja Wilson, Tea with A & Phee. She was also selected for the All-WNBA Second Team and the All-Defensive Second Team for the first time.

2020: Olympic Gold Medal

In 2020, Napheesa Collier and Team USA won the gold medal in the tournament, defeating Japan 90–75 in the final.

June 2021: Named to Olympic Basketball Team

In June 2021, Napheesa Collier was named to the United States women's Olympic basketball team to compete in the 2020 Summer Olympics, marking her first selection to an Olympic roster.

2021: Won Coupe De France Finale

In 2021, Napheesa Collier played for Lattes-Montpellier in France, where she was part of the team that won the Coupe De France Finale in Paris.

May 2022: Maternity Leave Begins

In May 2022, Napheesa Collier began her maternity leave due to the birth of her daughter.

May 25, 2022: Birth of Daughter

On May 25, 2022, Napheesa Collier gave birth to her daughter, Mila Sarah Bazzell.

August 2022: Return to the Lynx

In August 2022, Napheesa Collier returned to the Lynx and played four games, wanting to play once more with Sylvia Fowles before her retirement.

October 7, 2022: Marriage to Alex Bazzell

On October 7, 2022, Napheesa Collier and Alex Bazzell were married in St. Louis.

June 29, 2023: 30+ Points/5+ Rebounds/5+ Assists/5+ Blocks

During the June 29, 2023, game, Napheesa Collier became only the second player in WNBA history to put up a stat line with 30+ points, 5+ rebounds, 5+ assists, and 5+ blocks. She scored 31 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and six blocks.

July 2023: Unrivaled League Announcement

In July 2023, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart announced the formation of a new professional women's league, Unrivaled.

2023: MVP in SuperCup Women Championship

In 2023, Collier played for Fenerbahçe in the Turkish Super League and was named Most Valuable Player in the SuperCup Women championship.

January 2024: Returned to Fenerbahçe

In January 2024, Napheesa Collier returned to Fenerbahçe in the Turkish Super League.

April 2024: EuroLeague Women Championship

In April 2024, Napheesa Collier was part of the team that won Fenerbahçe's second straight EuroLeague Women championship, with Collier scoring 33 points in the final.

May 21, 2024: Western Conference Player of the Week

On May 21, 2024, Napheesa Collier was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for the fifth time, averaging 24.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 3.5 steals and 2.0 blocks per game.

May 27, 2024: First in league for points, rebounds, steals and blocks

On May 27, 2024, Napheesa 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."

June 14, 2024: 30+ points, 8+ steals

On June 14, 2024, in the Lynx home game against the Sparks, Napheesa Collier became the first WNBA player to ever have 30+ points, 8+ steals, 5+ rebounds, and 2+ blocks in a game. Her eight steals in the game set a new Lynx franchise record.

June 25, 2024: MVP award

On June 25, 2024, Collier won the MVP award when the Lynx won the 2024 WNBA Commissioner's Cup championship against the New York Liberty.

July 10, 2024: Unrivaled Announcement

On July 10, 2024, Napheesa Collier was formally announced to appear and play in the inaugural season of Unrivaled. She plays for Lunar Owls.

August 2024: Western Conference Player of the Month

In August 2024, Collier was named the WNBA Western Conference Player of the Month, which was the first time Collier received this award.

August 2024: Moore Speaks About Collier

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."

August 23, 2024: Outrebounded the Aces and League History Performance

On August 23, 2024, in the game against the Las Vegas Aces, Napheesa Collier out rebounded the entire Aces team with 18 rebounds (Aces had 17). She became 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%.

August 24, 2024: Moore's Jersey Retired

On August 24, 2024, the Minnesota Lynx retired Maya Moore's jersey. Cheryl Reeve noted that Maya Moore's impact allowed Napheesa Collier to dream of emulating her.

September 22, 2024: 30+ Point Game

On September 22, 2024, in the first game of the 2024 WNBA playoffs against the Phoenix Mercury in Minnesota, Collier became the second player in Lynx franchise history (after Maya Moore) to have multiple 30+ point games in the postseason, scoring 38 points.

September 25, 2024: WNBA Playoffs Record

On September 25, 2024, in the second game against the Mercury, Collier scored 42 points, tying the WNBA playoffs single game point total record set by Breanna Stewart and Angel McCoughtry. She also set a WNBA record for the most points through the first two games of a playoff series (her total is 80 points).

September 29, 2024: WNBA Defensive Player of the Year

On September 29, 2024, before the Lynx began their semifinals series against the Connecticut Sun, Napheesa Collier was named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and also named to the WNBA All-Defensive First Team.

October 4, 2024: Interaction with Fan Using ASL

On October 4, 2024, a video surfaced showing Napheesa Collier communicating with a fan using American Sign Language (ASL). Collier had learned sign language during her upbringing.

October 8, 2024: 25+ points and 10+ rebounds

On October 8, 2024, in the semifinals game 5 against the Connecticut Sun, Collier became the first WNBA player to have 25+ points and 10+ rebounds in three straight playoff games.

2024: One of the Best Duos in the WNBA

In 2024, Napheesa Collier and Katie Lou Samuelson are considered to be one of the best duo's in the WNBA, despite not even being on the same team for the 2024 WNBA season.

2024: Second Olympic Roster

In 2024, Napheesa Collier was named to the women's Olympic roster to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Collier and the United States defeated France 67–66 in the final, earning Collier her second consecutive gold medal.

February 14, 2025: Unrivaled 1x1 Tournament Win

On February 14, 2025, Napheesa Collier won the Unrivaled 1x1 tournament and the $200,000 prize. Her win also meant each of her Lunar Owls teammates got $10,000.