NapheesaCollier

Position
Forward
Height
6-1
Weight
179 lbs
Birthdate
Sep 23, 1996
College/Country
Connecticut/USA
Draft
2019 Rnd 1 Pick 6
EXP
5 years
24
Napheesa Collier headshot
PPG
16.6
RPG
7.5
APG
2.8

About Napheesa

NOTABLE

  • All-WNBA Second Team (2020)
  • WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2020)
  • WNBA Rookie of the Year (2019)
  • WNBA All-Rookie Team (2019)
  • WNBA All-Star Game (2019, 2021)
  • Western Conference Player of the Week (2019:1, 2020:1)
  • WNBA Rookie of the Month (July 2019)
  • Olympic Gold Medalist (2021)

CAREER TRANSACTIONS

Selected by Minnesota in the 1st round (6th overall) of the 2019 WNBA Draft on Apr. 10… Signed to a three-year contract on Apr. 24, 2019.

2021 SEASON

Had a delayed start to her third WNBA season, missing the Lynx’ first three games while wrapping up her season in France… Started all 29 contests after arriving and ended up leading the league in minutes per game (34.6) for the third consecutive year… Averaged a team-high 16.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.31 spg and 1.28 bpg; she ranked among the league’s top 20 in all five categories: scoring (13th), rebounding (14th), assists (19th), steals (11th) and blocks (9th)… Shot a career-low 44.1% from the floor, 25.3% (21-for-83) from beyond the arc and a career-best 86.0% (good for 15th in the WNBA) from the line… Led the Lynx with 22 points and seven assists Sept. 12 vs. Indiana; she also swiped a career-high four steals… Collected five point/rebound double-doubles; she tied her career best with 14 rebounds Aug. 31 vs. New York, part of her seventh career 20/10 outing… Had a career-high five blocks Aug. 15 vs. New York… Pumped in a career-high 27 points July 11 at L.A., one of seven times she led… Scored her 1000th career point and hauled in her 500th career rebound June 30 at Phoenix… Tallied 23 points and registered career highs in minutes (44:17), assists (eight) and FTs made and attempted (11-for-13) June 25 vs. Las Vegas… Scored 23 of her 27 points in the 1st half vs. Chicago on June 15 and led all scorers with 26 points June 4 vs. Atlanta – including the game-winning FTs with :01.5 left.

WNBA CAREER CAPSULE

2020: Again started every game for Minnesota in her second season in the WNBA… Averaged 16.1 ppg, 9.0 rpg (good for 3rd in the league), 3.3 apg, 1.82 spg and 1.27 bpg in 34.2 mpg, finishing two assists shy of leading the Lynx in every category on a total basis… Shot 52.3% from the floor, 40.8% (20-for-49) from three-point range and 82.9% from the FT line… Overall, she ranked 12th in the WNBA in scoring, 19th in assists, 9th in FG accuracy, 15th in three-point accuracy, 3rd in steals, 6th in blocks and 1st in minutes played for the second straight season… Had 21 points and 11 rebounds Sept. 8 vs. Washington, her fifth career 20/10 effort; the minute total (39:20) was a career high… Notched season highs in FTs made (nine), assists (six) and steals (four) Aug. 21 vs. Phoenix… Named Western Conference Player of the Week on Aug. 17… Scored a season-high 26 points Aug. 15 vs. New York, one of three times she led Minnesota across the board (pts/reb/ast)… Contributed 21 points and a career-high 14 rebounds Aug. 13 vs. Las Vegas, one of seven double-doubles on the season… Tied her career high with four steals vs. Indiana on Aug. 7 and blocked a season-best four shots Aug. 1 vs. Connecticut… 2019: Wrapped up her debut season in the WNBA as the fifth rookie in Lynx history to start every game (Anosike, Augustus, Moore, Ohlde)… Contributed 13.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.91 spg and 0.94 bpg while leading the league in minutes played (33.3 mpg)… Logged 1131 minutes overall, eclipsing Seimone Augustus’ franchise rookie record of 1127 and marking the 4th-highest rookie total in WNBA history (Breanna Stewart 1179, Odyssey Sims 1169, Tamika Catchings 1167)… Ranked 16th in FG accuracy (49.0%), 21st in three-point accuracy (36.1%, 30-for-83) and 31st in FT accuracy (79.2%, 80-for-101); she also finished 4th in the league in steals, 15th in blocks, 15th in rebounds, 21st in scoring and 26th in assists… Scored in double figures in each of her final 15 starts, notching four of her five double-doubles in that span; she averaged 15.7 ppg and 7.3 rpg in those 15 games, hitting 53.8% from the field and 42.9% (15-for-35) from long range… Named Western Conference Player of the Week for Aug. 19-25, becoming the second Lynx rookie to earn the weekly honor (Augustus, June 5, 2006)… Tallied 23 points Aug. 25 vs. Las Vegas, adding a season-best three blocks… Led the Lynx across the board (22 points, 11 rebounds, five assists) Aug. 6 in Atlanta, becoming the fourth player in team history to register a 20/10/5 effort (Moore 9, Fowles 3, Brunson)… Named the WNBA’s Rookie of the Month for July… Played in the All-Star Game on July 27 in Las Vegas… Scored a season-high 27 points May 25 vs. Chicago, the second-highest total ever for any player in her WNBA debut; Candace Parker poured in 34 points at Phoenix on May 17, 2008… The 27 points are also an all-time best for a player’s first game in a Lynx uniform.

PLAYOFFS

2020: Collected 16.5 ppg (50.0%), 9.0 rpg, 3.0 apg and 2.50 bpg in four playoff starts… Tallied 25 points and a franchise playoff-record six blocks Sept. 22 vs. Seattle and netted 22 points and 15 rebounds vs. the Storm on Sept. 27… 2019: Totaled 19 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals (in 38:28) at Seattle on Sept. 11.

 

 

INTERNATIONAL

2021: Member of Team USA’s gold-medal-winning entry at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo… 2019: Won gold at the FIBA AmeriCup tournament in San Juan, P.R., averaging 6.0 ppg and 6.3 rpg in six appearances… 2018: Listed as one of 16 finalists for the FIBA World Cup team, averaging 5.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 2.6 apg in five exhibition outings… 2015: Won a gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Championship in Russia, earning All-Star Five honors after averaging 12.7 ppg (54.2%), 9.3 rpg, 2.0 apg and 2.43 spg in seven appearances.

 

OVERSEAS

2020-21: Played for French club Montpellier, averaging 14.7 ppg and 7.9 rpg in 14 LFB contests.

COLLEGE

Helped Connecticut advance to the NCAA Final Four in each of her four seasons on campus, highlighted by the 2016 national championship that capped a 38-0 campaign… Overall, the Huskies won 145 of 150 games during her career (36-1 in 2016-17, 36-1in 2017-18, 35-3 in 2018-19)… Finished her career ranked 3rd in school history in points scored (2401), 4th in rebounds (1219), 7th in blocks (251) and 3rd in FG accuracy (61.3%)… Chosen as the 2019 winner of the Katrina McClain Award, given to the nation’s best power forward… Garnered First Team All-America accolades from the A.P., USBWA and Wooden Award as a senior, following a season that saw her average 20.8 ppg (61.2%), 10.8 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.47 spg and 1.68 bpg in 38 starts… Registered 25 double-doubles, including five games with 30+ points and 10+ rebounds… Totaled a season-high 37 points vs. East Carolina in the opening round of the AAC Tournament on Mar. 9 and snared a career-best 17 rebounds Dec. 19 at Oklahoma… Averaged 16.1 ppg (58.3%), a team-high 7.4 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.62 spg and 1.70 bpg in 38 games as a junior… Collected 25 points and a career-high nine assists vs. Saint Francis (Pa.) on Mar. 17, 2018… Earned First Team All-America honors from the A.P., USBWA and WBCA in her sophomore season after netting 20.4 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.73 spg and 2.08 bpg in 37 outings… Ranked 3rd in the nation in FG accuracy at 67.8% — the 4th-best single-season percentage in Connecticut history – and shot a career-best 43.1% (22-for-51) from three-point range and 81.8% from the FT line… Scored a career-high 39 points at South Florida on Feb. 27, 2017 and grabbed a season-best 16 rebounds at SMU on Jan. 14, 2017… Played in all 38 games as a freshman in 2015-16; she averaged 6.8 ppg (53.3%) and 5.2 rpg in 17.2 mpg… Chipped in six points and five rebounds in Connecticut’s title-game win over Syracuse on Apr. 5, 2016.

PERSONAL

Nicknamed “Phee” … Daughter of Sarah and Gamal Collier … has two siblings, Kai and Wanza … Father played rugby at Buckingham University on England … Name the 2013, 2014 and 2015 Gatorade Missouri Player of the year.

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