St. Louisan Napheesa Collier has made her mark in professional basketball as one of the top players in the WNBA with the Minnesota Lynx.
The former Incarnate Word Academy star is now taking the growth of women’s basketball in the United States to another level. Collier has joined forces with New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart to found a new women’s professional league called “Unrivaled.”
The new league will make its debut in January of 2025. It will feature 30 players on six teams in a 3-on-3 format with the games to be played on a compressed full court. The league will be played during a 10-week period with all of the games being held in Miami.
“With the growing popularity of women’s basketball and the WNBA, this is an opportunity for us to extend our visibility into the traditional basketball season, said Collier in a statement. “Breanna and I set out to create a league that would change the way women’s sports are viewed and ultimately how sports leagues operate.”
The “Unrivaled” league will provide the players of the WNBA an option to play in the United States during their off-season. Many of the WNBA’s top players travel overseas to play in order to compliment their salaries. Collier has been playing overseas since 2021.
During the past two seasons, Collier has played with Fenerbahce of the Turkish Super League during the off-season. She has led the team to a pair of EuroLeague Women’s championships. She was the Most Valuable Player of the SuperCup Women’s championship in 2023. In April, she scored 33 points in the championship game to lead Fenerbahce to its second consecutive championship.
