Napheesa Collier is a forward for the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA. Drafted 6th out of UConn by the Lynx in 2019, Collier she was subsequently named Rookie of the Year and was voted to the 2019 WNBA All-Rookie Team. Below, Collier details life in the Wubble, as well as her new podcast ‘Tea with A & Phee,’ which she hosts with A’ja Wilson. 

There was some initial skepticism around the WNBA bubble, but the consensus now seems to be that the bubble is better than expected. How concerned are you about bubble fatigue as the season goes on?

As far as being in the bubble goes, obviously it’s not ideal. It’s not what you want to be doing, but the WNBA really has made the best out of the situation. And the IMG campus is really big, so it helps that we’re not confined to one hotel or something like that. Our team even got to go to the beach last weekend. It was a private beach where it was just us there and there were protocols in place. Those kinds of things keep you sane. As far as game fatigue, I think it’s going to get progressively harder. This is our second stretch now where we have six games in a row. I think we’re definitely going to start feeling it more because it’s really hard to play every other day. Some teams have 10 games in a row, so it’s a lot.

You aren’t traveling, but you’re playing so many games back to back. How has recovery been?

Our first stretch was only four games long and we’re only just into our six game stretch now. But on days like today, we have full recovery where the whole team does something with our trainer for 20 minutes in the pool. We’re all just trying to take care of our bodies. We have NormaTec which is great. But we’re not having a bunch of practices, so you really have to lock in mentally. You have to force yourself to stay locked in because we don’t have as much time as in a normal season to scout other teams and then practice what we learn. Obviously, you always want to be locked in mentally, but you really have to hone down and focus now because there’s such a short window between games.

Thank goodness for NormaTec, right?

Seriously. It’s in my room right now.

How have the protocols been and do you think players will continue to follow all of them?

It’s been going really well with protocols, so far. I think everyone will continue to follow them because they’re working for us right now and we can see that if we keep doing this, then we’ll get to finish our season. I think the WNBA has been doing a really good job with it. We have testing every day and we have to wear our masks. They are doing a really great job with sanitizing everything and keeping things separate and just doing everything they can to make sure that everyone stays safe and healthy. So, we’re really excited and optimistic about finishing the season.

Social justice has been at the forefront of this season. How much of a factor was social justice in your decision to play?

For me, it was very important. Being in the WNBA, we all have a platform. But I think that playing gives you a bigger platform and keeps people engaged with the issues. People get fatigued hearing the same thing over and over, even though it is just as important as it was before. Playing gives us an advantage in that people are engaged in the games and we can push what we’re fighting for at the same time. I think it was really important for us, as a league, to be united this season, which is why we’ve had so much programming for victims of police brutality. We have it on our court and we have a new shirt every game.

Teams looked a little rusty in their first couple of games, but now it seems like every night someone new is going off. Do you feel like everyone has found their rhythm or do you expect there to be more ups and downs?

I think it was rough at first because one, we haven’t played in a long time. Our season was postponed and people had to come back from overseas early and not everyone had access to gym time. Even with gym time, it’s different working out compared to actually being in a game situation. So yeah, it was a little rough at first and, honestly, I think there will be ups and downs with fatigue. Like I said, it’s really hard to play so many games in a row. And if people are coming off of injuries or if they have injuries lingering or if they’re older, it will be harder. I think teams will continue to have a lot of ups and downs.

The Lynx are near the top of the league’s standings. What needs to happen to stay in championship contention?

Obviously, we need to continue to win games. We want to feel confident about the way we win them — we don’t just want to get by. For us, specifically, we are trying to cut down on turnovers. And we really struggled in the first couple of games with transition defense, but during the last couple games, we started to hone in on it. I think our transition defense is what makes the difference in our games because obviously everyone wants to be in transition. And when we can stop that transition, our half court defense is really good. So I think we need to continue our transition defense and cut down on those turnovers.

What are your expectations for the remainder of the season?

I’m excited. I really like the group of women on my team. I think our chemistry is great. So I’m excited to keep playing with them and just building. We have a lot of new players, but we’ve been able to form a group pretty quickly because we all want to play hard for each other. So far, when we have set a goal for ourselves, we have executed it in games. Like I said, our transition defense and our turnovers are progressively getting better each game. And it’s encouraging to see how coachable we are as a team. I’m excited to see what we can do this season.

Steal. Ball fake. Euro. And☝️by Napheesa Collier ???????????? pic.twitter.com/YWV9nma6fN

— WNBA Got Game (@wnbagotgame) August 9, 2020

We’re definitely excited to watch as fans. Last year your goal was to win Rookie of the Year and you did it. What are your personal goals for this season? 

My next big goal is to win MVP. I want to make first team All-WNBA, too. First and foremost, though, I want our team to win. So, that’s the big thing right now and that’s all I’m focusing on at the moment.

Moving into your podcast, which we are all huge fans of — we love that “locker room talk” vibe. How did the podcast, ‘Tea with A & Phee,’ come to be?

It really just stemmed from us being two young players in the league and wanting to share our perspectives on what we go through in the bubble. We feel like we’re up and coming players, and I think our perspective is a little different from people who have been in the league longer. We thought it would be interesting to talk about that and our experiences so far. Obviously, having guests on the podcast is super fun as well. We were definitely fan-girling a little before the last episode with Kevin Durant.

What are your plans with this podcast? Are you hoping to only do it while you’re in the Wubble or are you hoping to grow it? 

We want to grow it for sure. We did not think it would take off as quickly as it has, so we’re super excited to continue growing. Right now, we’re young in the league and I think it would be cool to see how our perspectives grow and our experiences change as we continue in the league. We don’t have any set plans right now, but I guess we’ll see what the future holds.

“Shoutout to KD, we relate, we get the same attention” - Drake ????

Episode 2 with our first guest, #7 on the Nets. Tomorrow. @KDTrey5 #TeaWithAAndPhee ☕️ pic.twitter.com/CHbdpGl1tZ

— Tea With A & Phee (@WNBATea) August 4, 2020

The relationship between the WNBA and the NBA is really special. Can you speak on that? There is so much love that goes in both directions. I think that’s really unique to basketball in the US.

I think it is, too. And I think it’s just love for the game. A lot of the trolling focuses on the women’s side, but people who actually play and who are serious about the sport understand how fun it is to watch both men’s and women’s. It’s two totally different styles of play. Ours is more technical and fastball, and more mentally sound than the men’s game. But the men are super fun to watch because they’re so athletic and it’s incredible the things they can do. As athletes, we understand both sides of that, the men’s and the women’s game. It goes both ways. We all love watching and supporting each other.

We’re on the outside looking in. What are we missing? What is the person who’s following the league from outside of the Wubble not seeing? 

Well, I mean, I go to practice and then back to my room! But, it’s cool to be with everyone else because you get to see them every day. You don’t get to do that in a normal season, so our relationships have definitely grown. You meet and interact more with people from other teams, too. So, it’s really cool how competitive we can be on the court and then how supportive we are off the court. Everyone is so friendly and cool with each other — that has been a really great part of the Wubble.

Caitlin Clark made a surprise appearance on “Saturday Night Live” over the weekend, which quickly went viral.

The Iowa star showed up on the show’s Weekend Update segment to playfully call out Michael Che’s history of making jabs at women’s sports.

It started when Che joked that Iowa should replace Clark’s retired No. 22 “with an apron.” 

When Clark entered, Che said that he was a fan. But Clark wasn’t convinced – especially not when co-host Colin Jost brought the receipts of Che’s jabs.

“Really, Michael? Because I heard that little apron joke you did,” she said, before making him read some jokes of her own in retaliation. Clark finished her segment by shouting out the WNBA greats that came before her. She then got in one final dig – bringing Che a signed apron as a souvenir. 

She’s got jokes 😎@CaitlinClark22 on @nbcsnl #Hawkeyes

pic.twitter.com/54khqQw2MR

— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) April 14, 2024

When Che promised to give it to his girlfriend, Clark delivered her last playful dig of the night.

“You don’t have a girlfriend, Michael,” she said.

Afterward, SNL castmember Bowen Yang told People that the 22-year-old and teammates Gabbie Marshall, Kate Martin and Jada Gyamfi – who joined her at Studio 8H – “were so cool.”

“She's so charming and witty,” Yang said. “They were just the most stunning, noble people.

“Athletes just have this air about them. They know they're amazing. I mean, these are people who have numeric attachments and values to their performance. That's something that comedians never have.”

The Portland Thorns continue to struggle to start the NWSL season, falling 2-0 to the North Carolina Courage over the weekend to remain winless through their first four games. 

It’s uncharted territory for Portland, who has never started the NWSL regular season without a win in four games before.

Following the loss, defender Becky Sauerbrunn voiced her frustrations with the start. 

“It’s hard to find a lot of encouraging things, but what I find encouraging is that people are frustrated,” she said. “People are pissed off that we’re not doing well. We care, and I think that’s really important.” 

She also added that while the team will reflect individually, “there’s going to be no finger pointing.”

“We’re going to look at ourselves and figure out what we should have done, or I should have done better,” she said. “There is a list of things that I could have done better, and I’m going to make sure I know every single thing and watch this game back.”

The Thorns currently sit at the bottom of the league table with just one point, having allowed 10 goals – tied for the worst in the league. They’ve yet to lead in a match. And as questions grow, attention turns to head coach Mike Norris. 

Norris is in his second year as head coach of the club after leading the team to a second-place finish in the regular season last year. When asked about the possibility of pressure growing after the unprecedented start, Norris said that the pressure has been there “from day one.”

“I cannot be driven by my day-to-day and the longer vision of the pressure of the job,” he said. “We’ve got a belief in how we want to play, how we operate. We’ve got to stick with the process of that. While we do it, we have to review and see what is working, what’s not working.

“I’ll be showing up for the team and being there for what they need from me as we approach getting back together as a group next week.”

Maria Sanchez, who signed one of the biggest deals in NWSL history just four months ago, has reportedly requested a trade from the Houston Dash. 

ESPN was the first to report the news, which was confirmed by multiple sources.

In a statement to ESPN, the team said: “​​Maria Sanchez is under contract, a choice she made in free agency at the end of 2023." 

In December, Sanchez signed a new three-year contract with the Dash worth $1.5 million including bonuses and an option year. At the time, it was the largest contract in NWSL history – something that was eclipsed by multiple contracts in the following months. 

The winger was a restricted free agent in the offseason, meaning that Houston could match any offer from another team and retain her rights. Should the team trade Sanchez, her contract would remain as it has been signed with the league. That limits the number of teams that could take on her contract. 

In three starts with the Dash this season, Sanchez has zero goals and an assist. The Dash are 1-2-1 through four games and have allowed a league-worst 10 goals.

The team hired a new coach, Fran Alonso, in December. Earlier this year, former goalkeeper coach Matt Lampson was fired for violating the league’s Coach Code of Conduct and Anti-Fraternization policy. 

Both the NWSL trade window and transfer window close at midnight ET on Friday.

Canada got its revenge on Sunday, winning the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship and taking down the U.S. in a 6-5 overtime classic.

Marie-Philip Poulin, a longtime star for Canada, got her first two goals of the tournament, while Danielle Serdachny had the game-winner. 

GOLD FOR CANADA! DANIELLE SERDACHNY WINS IT IN OVERTIME! #WomensWorlds pic.twitter.com/fHmqUmHoGw

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 15, 2024

"I hate to say you're not trying to rely on it, expect it, but I know I've grown to expect it," Canada coach Troy Ryan said of Philip-Poulin. "Tonight was just a whole other level. I could see in her eyes every time we called her name that she was ready to go. It's just special."

The win came after Canada lost 1-0 to the U.S. in the group stage of the tournament. On Sunday, the two teams met for the 22nd time in 23 tournaments in the gold medal game – and the action between the two teams delivered. 

Among those scoring for the U.S. were Megan Keller, Alex Carpenter, Hilary Knight, Laila Edwards and Caroline Harvey. Julia Gosling, Emily Clark and Erin Ambrose had the other three goals for Canada, giving them their 13th World title after falling to the U.S. in last year’s title game in Toronto. 

This year’s game was held in New York, and it was the second-highest scoring final between the two teams. The U.S. won a world championship 7-5 in 2015. 

"Oh man, that feels good to win it on U.S. soil," Canada goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens said after the game. "We owed it to them and owed it to ourselves to win that one."

Canada also denied Knight a record 10th World Championship win, although she did become the most decorated player in women’s world championship history with 14 medals. After the game, Poulin gave Knight a hug on the ice. 

"We just said 'that was unbelievable,'" Poulin said.

U.S. coach John Wroblewski echoed the sentiment that it was an outstanding game after being asked about ending the game on a power-play after leaving too many players on the ice. 

"Instead of talking about the isolated events of tonight's game, I think that normally that's an interesting storyline,” he said. “But I think the entity of an amazing 6-5 game is an amazing hockey game that took place."