Sports
Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier brings do-it-all game to WNBA title contenders
For Minnesota Lynx winger Napheesa Collier, it was just like the closing of a chapter in history.
Since joining the WNBA as a rookie in 2019, Collier has watched the organization rejoice the tip of its most successful era in franchise history, an era that brought the Lynx 4 WNBA championships in seven seasons from 2011 to 2017 and featured several basketball legends and Hall of Fame talents who inspired a generation of future WNBA players.
In 2019, Collier saw the team retire Lindsay Whalen’s jersey. Seimone Augustus and Rebekkah Brunson had their jerseys retired in 2022. In 2023, it was Sylvia Fowles’ turn.
On August 24, the Lynx retired Maja Moore’s jersey in front of former players.
Since being named the 2019 Rookie of the Year, Collier has evolved from the long run face of the Lynx to the franchise player of the team, watching and learning from a dynastic era that established a winning culture in Minnesota and being handed the baton to proceed it.
This season, the Lynx (30-10) are doing just that. Behind an MVP-level season from Collier, who joins an elite class of WNBA performers, Minnesota is a title contender. As the Lynx prepare for a first-round playoff game as a No. 2 seed against the No. 7 Phoenix Mercury, they will likely be led by their “humble superstar” in Collier, who has set her sights on making a latest winning chapter in franchise history.
“When we retired (Maya’s jersey), I think that was the last of that generation and that era, so it feels like we’re making our own destiny now — and hopefully we can follow in their footsteps with a championship,” Collier said. “It definitely feels like a possibility for us this year.”
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Before her jersey was retired on Aug. 24, Moore joined the Lynx commentary booth through the second quarter of the night’s contest between Minnesota and the Indiana Fever. When asked about what Collier did, Moore raved about Collier’s selfless nature, her desire to win and the way she supported her teammates.
“I love the spring in her step. She’s just solid. Consistent,” Moore said. “She just knows who she is and how to play.”
It took Collier a moment to work out who she was as knowledgeable within the WNBA. As she matured as a player, she learned more about herself. With such a high level of talent within the league, she was forced to discover a place to thrive on the WNBA level because what worked for her in college modified at the following level.
“Just finding what I’m best at, where I excel, where my value is on the team and what I can do to be successful,” Collier said. “I think over the years of doing that, I’ve found my space.”
That space, for Collier, saw her play at an MVP level as a two-way handyman for Minnesota. Collier finished the regular season averaging 20.4 points (fourth within the WNBA), 9.7 rebounds (third), 3.4 assists and 1.9 steals (second). Collier said she all the time knew she was able to that level and is glad it happened.
“I think the No. 4 position in this league is one of the best. To be considered for MVP at this level — it’s unbelievable,” Lynx point guard Kayla McBride said. “I think she’s just playing with a little more tenacity this year and the expectations she has for herself, a quiet confidence. I’m always impressed with how she handles that and how she carries it, and she’s definitely taken it to another level this year.”
Collier has set profession highs in every major statistical category this season. Collier has focused on developing her game this offseason, emphasizing mid-range and improving her 3-point shooting. Previously, Collier’s mid-range shooting volume was limited to 11.8 percent of her 2-point attempts. This 12 months, it’s 17.6 percent.
“I’m still working on the second one,” Collier joked.
Collier’s teammates praise her mentality and work ethic, her consistency and efficiency. Brunson likes Collier’s commitment to development.
“Phee is someone I think is a superstar in this league, but she’s very coachable. She’s become a better defender. She’s become a better perimeter shooter,” said Brunson, a Lynx assistant coach since 2020. “She knows she has her favorite moves, but she still listens to us about the crease she needs to make, the counterattacks she needs to make. She’s still developing.”
Another strength of Collier’s game is her toughness and sturdiness. She’s never really been off the court for the Lynx, which has been the case since she entered the league and averaged 33.3 minutes per game as a rookie. Collier is averaging 2.58 miles, according to Second Spectrum, probably the most of any player this season (minimum 15 games played).
“She’s so good, you never want to take her out of the game,” Brunson said. “She’s still working on her body, her physicality, making sure she’s stronger and more durable in the offseason. That’s very important. No matter how good you are, if you can’t stay on the field, if you can’t be available for your team, it doesn’t matter. She’s someone you know you can count on. I think that’s definitely the key to this team’s success.”
“When you have a team like that — that really doesn’t care about individual accolades, just the team and winning — number one, it’s really hard to find that in the WNBA, and number two, I think that’s definitely a recipe for greatness.”
— Napheesa Collier
Collier’s miles should not only a measure of her minutes, but her activity in possession. On offense, she averages about 1.42 miles per game, second within the league behind Caitlin Clark (1.46, min. 15 games played this season).
“The hardest thing for me to guard is the guys that move around a lot,” Collier said. “I think just trying to be as active as possible is really tough for the defense to keep up with you and know what you’re doing. That’s definitely something I try to do.”
Collier can often touch every level of the sector on a single possession and be involved in multiple plays because the Lynx navigate to get one of the best looks. Of the 4 kinds of plays Second Spectrum tracks (handoffs, isolations, picks and post-ups), Collier and New York Liberty wing Breanna Stewart are the one players within the league with greater than 70 plays while playing all 4 plays. Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve describes Collier’s brand of offense as “opportunistic.” Sometimes it’s Collier’s ability to exploit defenses which are out of position, other times it’s her flying in from the perimeter to grab an offensive rebound and finish a second-chance point.
Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire
In the WNBA’s superteam era, where accumulating star players has been the title-winning strategy for a lot of teams, from the New York Liberty within the East to the Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury within the West, the Lynx see themselves because the latter.
“When you beat a team like New York, that’s a superteam, and we’re not a superteam, we’re a collective,” Reeve said after the Lynx beat the Liberty on Sept. 15. Minnesota finished the regular season 2-1 against New York, excluding a Commissioner’s Cup final win over the Liberty in June. “They believe in each other and they believe in our collective. There’s more than one way to be successful.”
While on paper the team doesn’t have many Olympians or All-WNBA players, it’s not without star talent. The secret’s the team’s composition.
“It all comes down to what we can do as a team to win,” Collier said. “When you have a team like that — that really doesn’t care about individual accolades, just the team and winning — number one, it’s really hard to find in the WNBA, and number two, I think that’s definitely a recipe for greatness.”
The Lynx have considered one of the league’s best defenses. They rank second in defensive rating and steals and first in opponents’ field goal percentage (41%). The defense is anchored by Collier, a contender for this 12 months’s Defensive Player of the Year award. Collier’s defensive impact is clear in her ability to alter opponents’ shots. According to Second Spectrum, she is holding opponents to just 36.2 percent field goal shooting as a closest defender this season, the bottom within the league (amongst 114 players who had 100 field goal attempts against them as a closest defender). Collier ranks third within the league in steals per game and fourth in defensive rebounds (7.5 per game).
“Defensively, being able to take on the challenge of the great centers in our league — whatever we ask of her, she rises to the occasion,” McBride said. “I think she’s just playing with a little more tenacity and the expectations she has for herself this year.”
Minnesota’s offensive strength comes from balance. The Lynx are second in field goal percentage and the WNBA’s best 3-point shooting team. They have 4 players within the league’s top 10 in 3-point percentage, and forward Bridget Carleton and McBride lead the league amongst players with greater than 190 attempts. Courtney Williams is a number one mid-range threat and leads a team that leads the league in assists.
“I know a lot of times teams focus on me. If I have the ball, I open it up for someone else,” Collier said. “I can go into the center position and do something or pass it to the other side. We have so many threats on the team, it’s impossible to guard all of us.”
With Minnesota in search of its first championship since 2017, the last title won by the previous Lynx dynasty, Brunson said the message to Collier is obvious: No matter who you play, you could have to create your personal legacy.
“I don’t think Phee is thinking about how she fits into what we’ve done. She has her own goals and things she wants to accomplish with this team. I think the most important thing for her is that she understands that,” Brunson said. “Yes, there’s pride in wearing a Lynx uniform, but for her to be in the moment and know what she wants to carve out for herself and her teammates, I think she’s got a great head on her shoulders.”
Collier has emphasized her growth as a locker room leader yearly. She draws on what she learned from the team’s best players, whom she calls one of the best leaders she’s ever had. She’s taken the winning traits she saw playing alongside Augustus and Fowles and has been trying to embody them ever since. She’s grateful to have Brunson coaching her, an countless source of what it takes to win the massive game.
With Collier leading the way in which, we hope the Lynx team can gain that have first-hand.
“We have the talent to do it,” Collier said. “We just feel like we’re, hopefully, repeating history.”
The 2023-24 college basketball season concluded under Black head coach Dawn Staley, who made history by leading the South Carolina Gamecocks to a 38-0 record and a national championship.
What could possibly be in store for Black coaches and their programs in 2024-2025?
While Staley and the Gamecocks are focused on winning more NCAA championships, a national title shouldn’t be a possible goal for each program. Some coaches will likely be chasing their program’s first-place finish in the NCAA Tournament or a regular-season conference title, while others may simply be chasing a winning season. This doesn’t make them any less worthy of consideration when creating your programs.
Here are the eight coaches and their programs chosen by Andscape as teams to watch in the 2024-25 season.
Photo by Nell Redmond/AP
South Carolina
Coach: Dawn Staley
After winning their third national title since 2017, Staley and the Gamecocks are definitely on course to turn into the primary repeat champions since UConn won 4 straight championships from 2013-2016.
South Carolina, which starts the yr because the No. 1 team in the country, lost the centerpiece of last yr’s team in Kamilla Cardoso, who was chosen in the primary round of the 2024 WNBA draft. But everyone else from last yr’s title-winning team returns, which is a scary reality. for the remaining of the speed.
The Gamecocks also strengthened their frontcourt by adding 6-foot-10 junior transfer Maryam Dauda, 6-5 redshirt freshman forward Adhel Tac and 6-3 freshman Joyce Edwards, the No. 3 player in ESPN’s class 2024.
The national title will likely be South Carolina’s to lose.
Joseph Weiser/Sportswire icon
Our Lady
Coach: Niele Ivey
What Niele Ivey has achieved since taking on as head coach of the Fighting Irish is already a powerful feat – three straight seasons with over 24 wins, an ACC regular season title, an ACC Championship and three straight Sweet 16 appearances. What’s much more impressive is that whenever you consider that it never had a totally healthy lineup in any of those seasons.
That won’t change, at the very least initially of the yr, as forward Maddy Westbeld will miss the beginning of the season with a foot injury. Forward Kylee Watson continues her rehabilitation after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in March. Guard KK Bransford announced on October 8 that she can be sidelined for the season with a leg injury.
The Irish have arguably one of the best backcourt in college basketball with graduate Olivia Miles, getting back from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, and last yr’s freshman phenom Hannah Hidalgo. Add in a projected first-round pick in next yr’s WNBA draft, guard Sonia Citron, and a powerful transfer class with forwards Liza Karlen and Liatu King, and the Fighting Irish appear to be in a superb position to strike in March.
Lamar
Trainer: Aqua Franklin
Under Coach Aqua Franklin, the Cardinals were Southland Conference regular season champions last season. Lamar finished 24-7 and 17-1 in conference play with Franklin, who signed a contract extension in May, and was named Southland Coach of the Year. The Cardinals played in their second straight conference title game, but lost to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, ending their 14-game winning streak.
Lamar returns 10 players. Senior forward Akasha Davis and graduate defender Sabria Dean were chosen as preseason All-SLC talents. The Cardinals will likely be searching for their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2009-2010.
Michael Wade/Sportswire icon
WHEW
Coach: Jesyka Burks-Wiley
The 2023-24 season was a breakout season for Jesyka Burks-Wiley and the Panthers, who finished the season 21-12 overall and 11-5 in Conference USA. It was FIU’s first conference winning record because the 2012–2013 season and its first 20-win season because the 2011–2012 season. This season, the Panthers had two players named to the CUSA preseason team: senior defender Tanajah Hayes and junior forward Mya Kone, who was named preseason player of the yr. In her fifth season at FIU, Burks-Wiley will try to lead the Panthers to a conference title, a feat this system has not achieved since 2002.
UIC
Coach: Ashleen Bracey
One of one of the best program turnaround stories in the country occurred on the campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago. In 2022, UIC finished last in the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished 2-25 overall with a 1-20 record in the MVC.
Bracey comes in.
In her first season on the helm of the Flames, Bracey led UIC to a 17-win improvement and a winning season, this system’s first because the 2013-14 season. In her second season, Bracey led the Flames to their second straight victory and a 10-10 conference record. Bracey will look to take the following step for her program in the 2024-2025 season, either earning the team’s first conference record because the 2013-2014 season or advancing to the quarterfinals of the MVC Tournament for the primary time because the 2013-2014 season.
Troy Wayrynen/USA TODAY Sports
Prince
Coach: Kara Lawson
Whether she decides to take the Tennessee coaching job this offseason or stick with the growing Duke program, Kara Lawson will likely be a coach to watch in 2024-2025.
The Blue Devils showed what a threat they will likely be this season after they advanced to the Sweet 16 as No. 7 seed Ohio State in last yr’s NCAA Tournament. It was the primary Sweet 16 appearance in the team’s history since 2018.
Though led by senior guard Reigan Richardson, a preseason All-ACC selection. Duke was defined by its youth a yr ago. Nine Blue Devils on last yr’s team were freshmen or sophomores. Freshman Oluchi Okananwa was named the ACC Sixth Player of the Year.
Lawson, in his fourth full season at Duke, brings in one other top recruiting class this yr with three freshmen ranked in the highest 100 of HoopGurlz espnW’s 2024 recruiting rankings, led by Canadian forward Toby Fournier (No. 10).
Duke, picked to finish third in the ACC, will seek its first regular-season and tournament conference championship since 2013.
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North Texas
Coach: Jason Burton
Jason Burton made quite an impression in Denton, Texas, because the Mean Green’s first-year coach. North Texas finished last season 23-9 and set program records for conference wins and wins in a season. The Mean Green also won their first conference title since 1986. Burton was named AAC Coach of the Year.
This season, North Texas finished second in the AAC, just behind conference giant South Florida. The team is led by senior forward Tommisha Lampkin, who was named preseason player of the yr. After a disappointing end to the season in the quarterfinals of the AAC Tournament in March, North Texas will aim higher in the 2024-2025 season.
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Norfolk State
Coach: Larry Vickers
Larry Vickers, the Mideast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year the past two seasons, has positioned the Spartans to proceed their recent conference dominance. Over the past two seasons, Norfolk State has gone 24-4 in conference play. The team has won regular season and conference tournament titles and will look to win three championships in the 2024-2025 season. A yr ago, Vickers led the team to probably the most wins in a single season in the Division I era (27), a record this system had just broken the previous season.
The team is led by graduate defenseman Diamond Johnson, MEAC Preseason Player of the Year, senior forward Kierra Wheeler (Preseason First Team) and graduate defenseman Niya Fields (Preseason Second Team).
Also keep watch over: Vanessa Blair-Lewis (George Mason), Yolett McPhee-McCuin (Ole Miss), Carrie Moore (Harvard), Darnell Haney (Georgetown), Alex Simmons (Memphis).
The former president of the United States accompanied him to a round of golf this week. Former President Barack Obama was joined on a Pennsylvania golf course this week by Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, point guard Saquon Barkley and team owner Jeffrey Lurie. Hurts revealed on the press conference that although he did not have the chance to play with the president, he cautioned that “his day will come.”
According to President Obama, he was at Merion Golf Club on October 29 with Eagles players and the owner. Hurts was on the golf course but couldn’t play attributable to a contract clause that prevented him from doing so. He admitted that he and the previous president got into a discussion about trash; he told Obama that his day would eventually come after they could compete on the green.
He said Obama was “form of like an uncle figure. President Obama, the leader of all times. A beautiful presence. I believe this word is mundane. I can only imagine this lifestyle and all the several things that include it, but still seeing him having fun and talking nonsense; that was cool. I told him I didn’t want these problems yet. I told him I could not play golf straight away. According to the contract, I cannot play golf. But his day will come.
Jalen Hurts claims he didn’t play golf with former President Obama, Saquon Barkley and Jeff Lurie yesterday. Jalen stuck with the group the whole time. He says it’s in his contract that he cannot play golf.
Saquon says it was one among the good experiences of his life pic.twitter.com/OJGFpG3wKQ
— John Clark (@JClarkNBC) October 30, 2024
According to , Hurts’ teammate Barkley did just that play. He commented on this experience.
“It was probably one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had in my life,” Barkley said. “Very handsome. It’s amazing, truthfully. I spent about 4 or five hours with him and got to do what I really like, which is play golf.
CLEVELAND — The collective chants broke out late in the fourth quarter and Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James did his best acting job, keeping his cool in front of a sold-out Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse crowd.
“It was crazy, certainly bigger than I expected,” he said after the Lakers’ 134-110 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. “It was a nice moment. These songs really captivated me. I had a serious look on my face, but I felt it. I felt really good, especially driving from here. It was a special moment for me.”
Every week after LeBron James and Bronny James became the first father-son duo to play on the same court together in an NBA game on Oct. 22, their return to their native Ohio sparked praise and pride for his or her father, a legendary player who spent 11 years spent in the NBA with the Cavaliers and for his son, who spent his young years at the stadium, watching his father play.
In anticipation of the Lakers’ visit, a love festival began a number of weeks ago. The idea of the Jameses playing on the same team was a preferred topic of conversation in barbershops, especially of their hometown of Akron.
“First of all, we all couldn’t believe that someone would be able to play with their son for that long,” said Jason Andrew, owner of Andrew’s Barbershop in West Akron. “And as for the criticism of LeBron caring for his son, it is no different in corporate America. They care about their sons, why not LeBron?”
Since LeBron James helped the Cavaliers win their only NBA title in 2016, he stays well received by the fans who made Wednesday’s game successful.
“This game brings another level of excitement,” Deonte Edwards, owner of Kutz Barbershop in Akron, said before the game. “It’s always great love when LeBron comes back and it will be the same with Bronny.”
The anticipation also rubbed off on a few of LeBron’s former teammates. Former Cavaliers guard Daniel “Boobie” Gibson is well aware of the love affair Northeast Ohio fans have with their athletes.
“The game in Los Angeles where they made history was more of a look,” Gibson said. “But here it’s more a matter of feel. It’s more authentic. The fans here are more connected to (Bronny’s) story because he’s from here. And they intend to support him.”
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AP Photo/Tony Dejak, file
Earlier in the day, before the Lakers’ shootaround, Gibson said his support as a fan can be surreal because he hadn’t seen Bronny James since he was a child.
“What makes this game even bigger is that I saw him in this spot when we lifted the Eastern Conference championship trophy (2006-07),” Gibson said. “Seeing LeBron still playing at the highest level and now his son playing in the league doesn’t seem real. I’m just happy to soak it all in.”
Hours before Wednesday’s game, the Cavaliers organization placed several digital posters at the entrance to the visiting locker room. 15-year-old Bronny appeared at the exhibition in the middle of the Cavaliers’ NBA title celebration, with considered one of his fathers holding the championship and MVP trophies.
During the first timeout of the first quarter, the Cavaliers honored the father and son with a tribute video accommodates the most significant moments of the game of LeBron James and photographs of him and elementary-aged Bronny on the basketball court. The jumbotron also showed the father and son survive a split screen as arena host Ahmaad Crump welcomed them back to Cleveland.
“I was a little angry at halftime (because the Lakers were losing), so I didn’t have a chance to really appreciate (the video), but I heard it,” LeBron James said after the game. “When I heard his name too, that’s when I looked up and I think I hit him in the leg. (The video) was pretty cool.”
The Cavaliers, winners of 5 straight games, were hot as they led by double digits for much of the game. LeBron James got his. He had 26 points and 6 rebounds. At the starting of the fourth round, the Lakers led by 20 points.
Later in the quarter, the fans began chanting: “We want Bronny.” With LeBron James on the bench, Lakers coach JJ Reddick sent his son onto the court with 5:16 left. Several thousand fans stood and cheered. One of those fans was Bronny James’ grandmother, who was once a fixture on the scene during her son’s reign.
“I’m so grateful for all the people in the arena who were chanting his name and cheering him on,” Gloria James told Andscape. “It was special. Bronny worked hard to get to this present day and make it to the NBA. He is worthy and deserves it, I’m very comfortable for him and really comfortable for his dad.
Bronny James, a second-round draft pick of USC, gave his grandmother much more reasons to be comfortable when he scored his first NBA points shortly after entering the game in short stepback sweater, 2:03 left. The bucket means LeBron and Bronny James are the first father and son to attain in an NBA game. Bronny James was scoring points almost to the day when his dad scored his first NBA points against the Sacramento Kings on October 29, 2003.
“To see him score his first NBA basket in the arena where he grew up just down the road from here is an unbelievable moment, an unbelievable moment for him, especially for our family,” LeBron James said. “It’s just cool to be a part of it.”
Bronny James finished the game with 2 points, 2 assists and 1 steal. Fans didn’t get to see the father and son on the court like they did last week, but they left with something that was also memorable – especially for local Eric Hales and his 10-year-old son Blake.
“I’m here because it’s my son’s birthday and I wanted him to see LeBron and Bronny play together for the first time here in Cleveland,” Hales said. “LeBron and Bronny together on the same team is a great example of father-son collaboration. There is no greater joy.”
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