Sometimes you have to sit down and turn back mentally to see how far you have gone and everything you have done. Three years ago, Napheesa Collier covered WSLAM Vol. 2 with cover “Super Female”. Just two weeks after giving birth, Collier and her newborn daughter Mila demonstrated her power as a hoop and mother.
“I’m like a new mom, just trying to figure out life,” Collier recalled the mindset of the day. “I feel more certain about myself and my mother 1751310929She said. “I’m back in the game, so it feels really good. Being with my teammates again. I just feel more rooted in life. It was so uncertain at that time. Everything is brand new.”
Today, with Collier (called Queen Phee in these places) you can see the change. She is now a two-time Olympic gold medalist, WNBA finalist, an unparalleled co-founder, an unmatched leader of her team, and is now captain of the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game. When we released the media, Collier averaged 24.5 points for the league-leading Lynx, 8.4 RPG and 3.8 APG.
Three years have passed, but one thing remains the same: Collier is still a super woman.
SLAM: You are the first Western Conference player of the month this season. What has changed you from last year to this year?
Napheesa Collier: You know, I thought it was a happy accident last year. Of course, you do your best every year, but we happen to have the best team chemistry and then we happen to be really good basketball players, too. And having both of these things – it sounds small, but it’s really rare when you love all your teammates and you’re good at basketball at the same time. So we were a little stuck in last year. So now we know what it can be. I think it’s just making sure we don’t lose this opportunity. This year, that’s what it feels- we want to make the most of it and make the most of this year.
SLAM: You have played under coach Cheryl Reeve. What did her coaching style drive you to grow?
NC: I think Cheryl did a great job of putting people in a place where they succeed. She brings the best choice as a player and she knows where you will fit the team and how to stand out from you. So she really taught me, like how to use what you are really good at, obviously working on what you need. She kind of makes you technically more aware of the game, and I think that will make you a better player.
SLAM: There are a lot of great former Lynx players. Which veterans have had the greatest impact on you?
NC: Too difficult, because we have two [Rebekkah Brunson and Lindsay Whalen] In the coaching staff. But I mean, mom Syl [Sylvia Fowles] Definitely one of my favorites. I played with her for four years. She is just the best person you want to meet. So I have to say she is definitely one of my favorites.
SLAM: Can you give us a story while you are playing together?
NC: Syl is the first person I welcomed to me when I came to Lynx (the first day of training camp), her Hall of Fame player, and the MVP was the Defensive Player of the Year. She’s like, What’s wrong with baby? If you need anything, come to me. She just made me hug a huge hug. I was squeezed on her. That is her identity. So it was great to have her become my vet into the league, and now she texts me every day. You know, Good job, or Good LukeK, or something. She is great.
SLAM: You are in a career that is not yet a veterinary…
NC: Thank you for saying that.
SLAM: Over the past few years, you’ve seen the league grow, but you’ve also grown into a player. What is that transition?
NC: Yes, I think that’s more responsibility for the young people on your team. I talked about how Syl made me a rookie before, so tempting. Now, it’s my job to do it for young people. You will see what that responsibility is. This is my seventh season. I’m still young inside, but now I have to realize that caring for young people is my job. So, there were some difficulties when you started the transition a few years ago.
SLAM: Looking back, can you think of moments in your career that felt very small but ultimately changed everything?
NC: Being drafted to Minnesota because you can’t control where you are. And you always think of it No matter where I go, you will do your best. But I was lucky enough to draft here, which changed the trajectory of my entire career. So it seemed small at the time – it was obviously not small in the sense that you were drafted, which is so exciting, but you can’t control it, and wherever you go, you go. You have to go there. But I was lucky that happened. It definitely changed my life when I drafted it here.
SLAM: If we were to take all the titles and get praise, how would you describe yourself at the core?
NC: I think my mother is a huge mother and wife. I am a family-centric one. I am very proud of these areas. I am family. At my core, I like to relieve stress around my family. I would rather spend a night playing games with my family than play anywhere else.
SLAM: What does perfect sunshine look like?
NC: It’s a perfect day off for me – it depends on whether it’s a weekend or a day at school, or Mila, if it’s a day at school, you know, she’s in school a little bit so I have some time to relax. I might – it sounds boring – but it’s going to be errands. It’s fun to do it for me now, so I don’t know, buying something for my house, or taking a nap, bing some shows, just doing, for example, lazy stuff is the perfect day.
SLAM: Could it drive you early in your career now?
NC: Definitely my family, my daughter. It just brings a lot of things into perspective. Like I said before, basketball has never been the most important thing in my life, but it was the biggest thing in a long time. So, there are many things that are more important to me now. This really solidifies you, it doesn’t matter if you see it. Like, we play games at the end of the day, it’s really important to play games, but my family has always been number one. So whether I have a good day or a bad day, Mira at the end of the day, she likes, “Mom!” [and] Run into your arms. It just makes everything better. So why I definitely changed this way.
SLAM: How do you manage the chaos of everything that has brought about this season?
NC: I don’t feel like I work with me. I’ve never been obsessed with basketball. I really like to do other things in my life. So, for sure, I love napping. I always like to take naps. So when I have time, naps are number one, but, like starting a show or watching a movie, staying away from basketball, I can really back up my cups so I can give everything when playing.
SLAM: Last summer, you won the second Olympic God medal with Team USA. It feels like the Olympics were yesterday or about a year ago?
NC: Honestly, both. Because when I thought about it it was almost a year, it was crazy – a lot of things happened then [and now]. Plus, it seems to me that it is so vivid that it may feel yesterday. But then I think, after that, we went to the WNBA finals and we started with the unparalleled people – I have done all of these things since. So, this is simultaneously. It felt very far away, like it happened.
SLAM: The landscape of women’s basketball is constantly evolving and developing. Did you ever imagine that this would be reality when you think back on your rookie season?
NC: No, honestly. I mean, it’s crazy because usually the change happens so slowly that you can’t really track it. Like, it must happen, all of a sudden, you look at your position, and it’s different. This change happens so quickly. You can track it differently year by year. So it’s amazing to be a part. I don’t know if this will happen [during] My career, so it’s fun to see it so quickly and be part of it.
SLAM: With the creation of new communities in unrivaled new communities, your participation in growth is not attracting attention. As a player, pioneer and leader in the league, how will you describe this in women’s basketball?
NC: I think it’s like a period of empowerment, and honestly we have the most cards we have, which is the greatest strength we have as female athletes. The way people are about our sports, more accessible to us than ever, and you can see us on TV better than ever. Like, we still want to make a lot of changes in the field, but it’s better than ever, so you can see the growth that is happening. So yes, I just feel like we’re in the age where you can see cards, for example, almost changing hands, or players obviously have the greatest power. Obviously, being a player is very fun to be a part of the women’s sports.
SLAM: Build a league one brick at a time, you have always emphasized the importance of W playing games and invest. Now seeing the business aspect, what courses have you studied?
NC: I think you’ll see what happens when you invest in women’s sports – like when you pay players, when you give them the chance to become the league’s owner. I think this is incredible. It’s just the buy you get from the players, how much money the fans receive. You can also get a little bit on the league side. Obviously, as players, we want to ask for the most money. You’ll see the business aspect of X spending. I think in some areas we can push the boundaries more.
SLAM: If someone from now on said, “Napheesa changed the league,” what do you want them to mean?
NC: I hope that by “changing the league”, it is definitely through unparalleled. I hope to flourish unparalleled, so it drives the envelopes of all women’s movements [and] We are changing the meaning of paying and treating female athletes. So I hope we are pioneers in this way – this is an unparalleled goal.
As a player, I also want to do a lot of work. So I hope I change the league in this way. I want to win the championship, I want to win different things, so in both areas, I want me to leave my mark.
Portrait of Matthew Coughlin.
