Minnesota Lynx All-Star Napheesa Collier expressed her gratitude to her former collegiate teammate Kyla Irwin for her heartfelt shoutout on winning The Minnesota Star Tribune sportsperson of the year award.
Irwin, who played with Collier at UConn, took to Instagram stories to commend her former teammate for her latest accolade. She shared the Lynx’s announcement of Collier winning sportsperson of the year with the caption:
“You are so cool. The most deserving person I know.”
Napheesa Collier was touched by Irwin’s gesture and responded affectionately on her own IG story:
“Love you!”
Napheesa Collier was named Star Tribune’s sportsperson of the year after a successful 2024 season. She helped the Lynx win the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup and reach the Finals, while also earning the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award. Additionally, she won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Napheesa Collier excited for what Unrivaled offers to the women’s game
After a remarkable 2024, Napheesa Collier will be wearing a new hat in the upcoming year as the co-founder of the newly established 3-on-3 Unrivaled Basketball League. She is looking forward to the league’s start later this month, aiming to showcase new dimensions in women’s basketball.
Collier, along with Breanna Stewart, conceptualized Unrivaled as a platform for women basketball players to shine and earn well. The first season is set to begin on Jan. 17 in Miami and will run for three months.
In an interview with Bleacher Report, Napheesa Collier talked about the league’s inception and what sets it apart from others:
“It’s been great. Coming together for something that’s bigger than us has been amazing as well. I think we both see the vision, even with women’s sports already exploding, that it can grow even more.”
She added:
“Besides the competition on the floor, which everyone knows is going to be really good, I think everyone is going to be pleasantly surprised by the content and the access they’ll get to the athletes.”
Aside from being co-founders, Collier and Stewart are also part of the teams participating in the inaugural season of Unrivaled. They are among the 36 WNBA players involved in the league, and the games will be broadcast on TNT Sports.
Edited by Bhargav
