From the very first moment she stepped onto the WNBA court, Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier has never taken no for an answer.
She's a pro at tuning out the doubters. Six years into her WNBA career, the UConn product still believes she was the top prospect in the 2019 WNBA Draft. In fact, she went on to win that season's Rookie of the Year award despite the Lynx selecting her No. 6 overall. Secondly, after giving birth to her daughter Mila in May 2022, Collier showcased her ability to be both a mother and an elite professional athlete. She returned the following year, picking up her third WNBA All-Star nod while carrying the Lynx all season long.
And most recently, she reformed the business of women's basketball as the co-founder of Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball. The offseason league debuted to great success this past January.
So when a controversial foul call at the end of Game 5 of the 2024 Finals proved to be the final barrier between Collier and her first WNBA championship, she swore it would never happen to her again.
"To have it end that way, it feels super unjust," Collier told reporters last October, shortly after the Lynx lost to the New York Liberty. "I don't think that is something to get over."
Now, as a new season tips off, Collier is laser-focused on rewriting the narrative for the Lynx. But she's also making moves off the court, announcing today that she's joined the athlete roster at Jordan Brand. The Nike offshoot is building up its women's basketball footprint, currently supporting 12 WNBA players including Atlanta's Rhyne Howard and Las Vegas's Dana Evans.
For the 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, Jordan Brand represents an iconography of excellence. And it's one Michael Jordan himself explained to her this past winter.
"I'm really excited about everything that I saw from the outside," she told Just Women's Sports late last month. "But going through the pitch, learning what Jordan's about, just the way they exemplify greatness. It's something that I've always wanted be a part of."
"[Michael] Jordan, if you're a basketball player, just watching those games — the iconic red and black and white shoes that he wore — he was everywhere," she said of the brand's namesake NBA icon. "He's definitely still my idol."
Joining a basketball legacy at Jordan Brand
It might be too early to draw parallels between one of the greatest players of all time and a 28-year-old still growing into her full potential. But Collier's commitment to greatness does mirror His Airness.
Collier is aiming to win everything this year, from her first WNBA MVP award to her first championship with the Lynx. And it appears that the league is on board.
In this week's anonymous WNBA general manager survey, Minnesota was named most likely to win a title this season. And 67% of respondents tapped Collier for 2025 MVP — towering over three-time MVP A'ja Wilson's 25%.
Of course, it's no surprise. Collier is a wiry power forward with an unstoppable motor on both ends of the court. She has the ability to beat defenders off the dribble and a lethal fadeaway that gives opponents fits in the paint. And her balance only improves with every passing season.
Yet while experts key into Collier's rising form, they're also recognizing the fire that's been lit under Minnesota. After all, they're still convinced they were one foul call away from last year's WNBA title.
The Lynx clearly have a chip on their shoulder. And their job now is to make sure they use that as an asset, and not a liability.
"It's just the worst feeling — you don't want to feel like that again," Collier said of falling just short of the 2024 championship. "So use it to push you every day, where you're getting in the gym more than you were."
"It's just that little voice you hear when you're like, 'Okay, I'm tired,' or 'I don't have to lift today.' Or, you know, 'I shot yesterday. I don't have to shoot today,'" she continued. "It's that voice that's like, 'Well, do you want the same outcome or not?'"
Collier is making the change she wants to see
Growing up in Jefferson City, Missouri — also the hometown of retired Lynx legend and fellow Jordan Brand signee Maya Moore — Collier credits her parents for fostering her drive to create a future for herself that she hasn't always seen around her, both on and off the court.
It's a mentality that dates back to her earliest days in a pair of basketball sneakers. That's when her local youth team said they didn't have room on their roster for a young Collier discovering her love for the game.
"My parents were like, 'We'll make our own team," she recalled. "And that's what they did. They got girls from surrounding cities, and we created our own basketball team. And we ended up playing really well."
Decades later, Collier brought that same ingenuity to founding Unrivaled alongside old friend and fellow WNBA standout Breanna Stewart. And when it debuted in early 2025, the league's resounding impact sent shockwaves across the entire women's sports landscape.
"If you want to see a difference or make a change, why not just do it yourself?" Collier said. She and Stewart were done waiting for the higher-ups to capitalize on the potential they were seeing every day.
Unrivaled's timing couldn't have been better, with the 3×3 upstart riding women's basketball's "Caitlin Clark effect" wave in perfect harmony. But Unrivaled's success wasn't all the Indiana rookie's doing.
"We saw a need for something," she added. "It's something that we've been pushing for and fighting for for so long," she added, urging that women's sports's appeal, when given a platform, is undeniable. "People enjoy what we're doing, and now you see how excited people are over women's sports."
Minnesota's 2025 mantra: If it ain't broke, don't fix it
Today, Collier is leaving Unrivaled's day-to-day operations to her capable staff while she attends to unfinished business in the WNBA. The Lynx had a quieter offseason than many franchises this year, avoiding the many roster shakeups embraced across the league. In other words, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Collier is subsequently all in, noting that having an established core can give Minnesota an advantage. And that rings especially true as other teams scramble to put new puzzle pieces together.
"It's one of my favorite teams I've ever played on. Just the chemistry that we had from day one, the way that we were so there for each other," she said of the Lynx's personality-rich lineup. "It felt like college, honestly, where you create those bonds. You don't see that a lot in professional sports anymore."
The Lynx's training camp performances reflected that assertion. They've moved like a well-oiled machine with the ability to hit the ground running.
"We're doing things in day four of training camp that we were doing halfway through the season last year, just because everyone knows what's going on," Collier said.
That edge could be on full display in tonight's season-opener, as Minnesota takes on a revamped Dallas Wings before facing fresh rebuilds in LA and Connecticut.
Jordan Brand is striking while the WNBA iron is hot
Collier isn't giving herself much time to slow down. After playing with Unrivaled, she's jumping into this year's WNBA slate while also flexing her muscles with Jordan Brand. But she's also making time to appreciate the massive moment women's basketball is currently enjoying.
"I just feel really lucky to be able to say that I am living in this time. And get to play during this time," she said. "To see that change and to be a part of it, usually things like this happen so slowly over time. But when you see it happening in the blink of an eye, you can track the change."
No matter what this season holds, Collier will strive to embody everything that Jordan Brand hopes for in an athlete. That means a shrewd business sense, an understanding of what makes a team great, a competitive prowess, and that unwillingness to accept no for an answer as she pushes for even more progress.
"This partnership feels especially meaningful because it connects my performance on the court with impact that extends far beyond the game itself," Collier stated in Friday's press release, issued just hours before she's scheduled to hit the court in Heir Series sneakers.
"When young girls see that iconic silhouette, I want it to inspire them to aim higher than they thought possible."
US soccer legend Alex Morgan is back in the game, becoming a minority owner of her former NWSL club by investing in the San Diego Wave FC on Tuesday.
One of the 2022 expansion side's first signings, Morgan captained the Wave to their 2023 NWSL Shield win before retiring in September 2024 as the team's all-time leader in both goals (28) and assists (11).
"San Diego is where I've built my home, where I am raising my children, and found a purpose beyond my playing career," Morgan said in a club statement. "I believed in Wave FC before a single match was played, and I still believe this club has the power to change the future of women's sports."
Morgan joins an ownership group led by the Leichtman-Levine family. The Leichtmans purchased the team from founding owner Ron Burkle at a reported $113 million valuation last year.
"Alex has always fought to positively impact this game beyond the pitch," said Wave FC controlling owner Lauren Leichtman. "Her decision to invest is not only a continuation of her leadership but also a reflection of her belief in what we are building."
The two-time World Cup champion appears to be making good on her desire to shape the women's sports landscape after hanging up her boots, also buying into Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball ahead of the league's early 2025 debut.
"I was on board [with Unrivaled] from day one," Morgan told Boardroom in January. "Fans want to see what a player's personality is and who they vibe with, what drives them, and I think that being able to mesh that with competition, it already [is] a home run here with Unrivaled. So it would be really exciting to do something with other women's sports as well."
Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun!
Every week on Sports Are Fun!, co-hosts soccer legend Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes on the biggest women's sports headlines.
This week, the Sports Are Fun! crew is joined by sports reporter, host, and digital creator Aliyah Funschelle. And with a brand new WNBA season tipping off this Friday, the women's pro league and its many basketball superstars naturally dominate the conversation.
"In the sports betting world, Caitlin Clark is a frontrunner for MVP, which I was surprised about," starts O'Hara, referencing the sportsbooks' latest WNBA MVP odds.
"I mean, my thing is last season, she was number seven in total points," says Diaz, clearly not convinced. "She averaged about 19. A'ja Wilson averaged 26. That's a big difference."
"I don't know what clientele is setting these odds," says Funschelle. "I don't think she could be in the running. Maybe most improved? Which is crazy to say but I think Caitlin Clark has another level that she hasn't reached yet."
"Just her having the ability to rest during this offseason and build muscle," Funschelle continues. "I think she has an untapped level. She could really take step up to be like A'ja Wilson or Stewie, one of those big names."
"I saw the pictures of her and I was like, 'She's been putting in that work in the offseason.,'" agrees Diaz.
"People said it was AI!" laughs Funschelle, cracking up her co-hosts. "It was crazy."
In addition to the WNBA, the Sports Are Fun! hosts dive into the unpredictable NWSL weekend, Golden State's mascot auditions, and so much more!
'Sports Are Fun!' debates 2025 WNBA MVP award odds
The Sports Are Fun crew wastes no time in getting into the WNBA MVP conversation, with hosts throwing out potential award winners.
"MVP? I feel like Napheesa [Collier] is going to come out for everything this year," asserts Diaz, nominating the Lynx mainstay and Unrivaled 3×3 co-founder. "She wants it all.
"She wants a title, she wants MVP," O'Hara adds.
"Absolutely," says Diaz. "Given the way her season ended last year and given the way she did so well at Unrivaled, I think she has an incredible momentum and she's only building off of it."
"So for me, it's either she's going to win MVP. Or A'ja Wilson's going to get her fourth MVP," Diaz concludes.
"You don't think anyone else is contending?" asks BJ.
"Nope," says Diaz. Period.
About 'Sports Are Fun!' with Kelley O'Hara
'Sports Are Fun!' is a show that’ll remind you why you fell in love with women's sports in the first place.
Join World Cup champ, Olympic gold medalist, and aspiring barista Kelley O'Hara as she sits down with sports journalist Greydy Diaz and a revolving cast of co-hosts and friends. Together, they're talking the biggest, funnest, and most need-to-know stories in the world of women’s sports.
From on-court drama to off-field shenanigans, to candid (and silly) chats with the most important personalities in the space, this show screams "Sports Are Fun!"
Subscribe to Just Women's Sports on YouTube to never miss an episode.
On the heels of Unrivaled 3x3 Basketball's successful debut season, TIME honored league founders Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart as two of the year’s most influential people, with the WNBA superstars earning space on Wednesday's 2025 TIME100 List.
"Unrivaled makes female athletes think about everything differently," retired US soccer legend and Unrivaled investor Alex Morgan wrote in the pair's tribute. "It's not always just take the salary and sign on the dotted line and be happy. Sometimes you can just do it yourself better."
Other big names in women's sports also made the cut, including the most decorated gymnast in history, Simone Biles, and retired tennis superstar Serena Williams.
"She is both deeply human and undeniably superhuman — a combination that makes her impact profound," Biles's former USA teammate Aly Raisman wrote of the seven-time Olympic gold medalist. "She inspires us to believe that we, too, can persevere. That we, too, can shatter limits."
Citing Williams's extensive post-tennis resume, which includes significant investments into women's sports, retired US Olympic track star Allyson Felix sang the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion's praises in the 2025 TIME100 List.
"She continues to show that we, as athletes, are so far from one-dimensional," Felix wrote. "She could take a break from being in the public eye and raise her family. Instead, she continues to pave the way."
The first-ever Unrivaled Basketball playoffs delivered both on and off the court, with Rose BC’s championship victory over Vinyl BC drawing the largest TV audience the offseason league has seen in 3×3 play to date.
An average of 364,000 viewers tuned into Monday’s final, peaking at 385,000 fans and marking a 99% increase over Unrivaled’s record-breaking regular-season average audience of 221,000.
Including the league's postseason success, Unrivaled capped its inaugural season having aired the 10 most-watched women’s basketball broadcasts in the history of broadcast partner TNT Sports.
In total, Unrivaled reached an impressive 11.9 million viewers across its two-month regular-season and postseason run — including the league's first-ever in-season 1v1 tournament.
That head-to-head competition ultimately drew the league's top performing tilt, with the final between runner-up Mist forward Aaliyah Edwards and eventual 1v1 champion and Lunar Owls forward Napheesa Collier averaging 377,000 viewers with a 398,000-fan peak.
"We’ve built an incredible foundation," Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell told reporters once the season wrapped. "Based on what the viewership is, now it’s our job to [ask] 'how do we grow that a bit?' We’re very proud about where we stand in the women’s sports ecosystem of viewership."
Unrivaled bags more big wins in inaugural season
Outside of TV viewership, Unrivaled also scored high social media engagement numbers, which have been a key metric for the league since its outset.
This season saw the league generate more than 589 million owned and earned social media impressions, and the pool of Unrivaled athletes collectively grew their own personal accounts by nearly one million followers in less than three months.
Perhaps most importantly for the players, the league followed through on its promise to prioritize athlete compensation, shelling out over $8.65 million in player salaries and performance bonuses from both Monday's championship and last month's 1v1 tournament.
With the offseason league designed primarily as a TV product, both Unrivaled and TNT will carry 2025’s wins far into their six-year partnership’s future — all while the WNBA will look to capitalize on the league’s ratings successes as its own May 16th season-opener nears.
Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball minted its first-ever champions on Monday, crowning Rose BC after the No. 2 seed defeated No. 4-seed Vinyl BC 62-54 behind star Chelsea Gray’s 18 points, eight assists, and three rebounds.
Gray’s dominance managed to tip the scales, helping Rose overcome the losses of both Kahleah Copper and Unrivaled Defensive Player of the Year Angel Reese to injury.
Also stepping up for the Rose were Azurá Stevens, who posted a 19-point, 18-rebound double-double on Monday, and Brittney Sykes, whose 21 points included the championship-winning free throw.
Despite slightly trailing her two teammates' in scoring during Monday's final, Gray's astounding postseason stats, which include averages of 28.5 points, six assists, and three rebounds, secured the guard the league's inaugural Playoff MVP title.
Ultimately, Rose rode their underdog status — earned with a talented, but primarily young roster — all the way to the championship.
"From day one they counted us out," said Rose head coach Nola Henry after Monday's game. "Kah went down, they counted us out. Azurá was out and they counted us out. Angel down, they counted us out. What they gonna say now?"
Unrivaled closes successful inaugural season
After the confetti fell on Monday's 3×3 championship court, players and coaches alike agreed that the new offseason league has been a great success — regardless of which team hoisted the trophy.
"A lot of fans came out and there’s a lot of energy behind it, but people are already excited about it for next season," Gray said of the upstart. "When you win, you have a different appreciation or joy about it, but it was a great first season."
While Rose BC’s athletes will likely carry that winning spirit — plus the $50,000-per-player bonus — into the WNBA’s May 16th season tip-off, Unrivaled’s impact will undoubtedly be felt far beyond its debut postseason.
The first-ever Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball semifinals took an unexpected turn on Sunday, as No. 4-seed Vinyl BC shocked the league by knocking freshly crowned 2025 MVP Napheesa Collier’s No. 1-seed Lunar Owls out of the competition in a 73-70 nail-biter.
The Lunar Owls dropped just one game all season prior to Sunday’s loss, entering the postseason as the clear favorite to win it all — including the $50,000-per-player championship purse.
On the other hand, the Vinyl narrowly qualified for the inaugural league's playoffs, and trailed the Lunar Owls for much of Sunday's game.
Entering the fourth quarter with a 10-point deficit, the Vinyl raced past the Lunar Owls, sinking 21 more points to stun their decorated opponents and earn a spot in Monday's final.
"We've been counted out this entire season," said Vinyl forward Dearica Hamby after delivering game-winning bucket. "We consider ourselves underdogs, but that didn’t show in our locker room. We never stopped believing in ourselves."
Monday's championship game will pit the Vinyl against late-season dark horse Rose BC, after the short-staffed No. 2 seed overcame a double-digit first-half deficit to earn a 63-57 semifinal win over the No. 3-seed Laces.
With Unrivaled Defensive Player of the Year Angel Reese joining Kahleah Copper on the injured end of the Rose bench, guard Chelsea Gray took charge in their absence, polishing off a single-game league-record 39 points with the game-winning three-pointer.
All in all, while Unrivaled co-founder Collier has been the standout all season, that fact that her Lunar Owls will now watch Monday's final from the sidelines only speaks to the league’s wider success.
How to watch the Unrivaled 3×3 championship game
Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball will crown its first-ever champion on Monday, after the No. 4 Vinyl contend against the No. 2 Rose in the offseason league's inaugural title game.
The action will tip off at 7:30 PM ET, with live coverage on TNT.
The Unrivaled playoffs have arrived, with Sunday’s 3×3 basketball action determining the two teams who will compete for the grand prize in Monday night’s final.
The inaugural league's two-day postseason will open with Sunday's semifinals. No. 3-seed Laces BC will first face-off against No. 2 Rose BC, with the No. 1 Lunar Owls taking on No. 4 Vinyl BC in the nightcap.
The winners will then go head-to-head on Monday, battling it out in the championship with a $50,000-per-player payday on the line.
"It’s money on the line," Lunar Owls guard Courtney Williams said earlier this week. "Anytime money is on the line, I think everybody has to up the ante."
After blasting through the regular-season with five more wins than any other club, Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier's Lunar Owls are the heavy favorites to hoist hardware, particularly if Rose BC — the only team to defeat the Lunar Owls all season — is without 22-year-old star Angel Reese, who exited the regular-season finale after seemingly re-aggravating her surgically repaired left wrist.
Top athletes earn first-ever All-Unrivaled honors
While teams prep for postseason action, the offseason league handed out end-of-season awards on Thursday, minting its debut All-Unrivaled First and Second Teams.
After tallying ballots from players, coaches, and media members, top scorer Collier earned a first-team nod, alongside the league's next two most prolific points-getters, Laces wing Kayla McBride and Rose guard Chelsea Gray.
Lunar Owls guard Skylar Diggins-Smith, Vinyl wing Rhyne Howard, and the aforementioned Reese landed on the second team after excelling in assists, three-pointers, and rebounds, respectively.
All six All-Unrivaled players will feature on this weekend's court, with Sunday's lineup offering a final opportunity to see some of the sport’s biggest stars in what’s been a wildly successful debut for the league.
How to watch the 2025 Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball playoffs
Unrivaled’s first-ever playoffs tip off with Sunday's semifinals, starting with the Laces vs. Rose at 7:30 PM ET before the Vinyl's battle with the Lunar Owls at 8:30 PM ET.
The victors will then clash in Monday's championship game at 7:30 PM ET.
All three Unrivaled playoff games will air live on TNT.
The buzzer sounded on the eight-week regular season of Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball on Monday, as the inaugural league bids farewell to two teams who failed to advance to the four-squad playoffs.
Both the Mist and Phantom BC fell below the four-team cutoff line, eliminating each club from playoff contention and sending superstars like Unrivaled co-founder Breanna Stewart and Phantom center Brittney Griner home.
Neither team fully found their rhythm in 3×3 play, with both struggling out of the gate to ultimately take the longest to register their first wins in the offseason league.
That said, while the Phantom's elimination was clear-cut, the Mist fell from the playoffs on what was arguably a technicality.
Locked together with Vinyl BC on the Unrivaled table, the final postseason spot came down to multiple tiebreakers. With head-to-head records being equal at 1-1, the final semifinal spot went to the team with the better record against the other three playoff teams — the Lunar Owls, Rose BC, and Laces.
The Vinyl's 3-6 record against that trio edged the Mist's 2-7 record — though one of those three Vinyl victories came from a February forfeit by the injury-laden Laces.
That stat booked Rhyne Howard and the No. 4-seed Vinyl a semifinal matchup with co-founder Napheesa Collier and the top-seeded Lunar Owls, a team that blasted through the season to finish with five more wins than any other club.
After clinching the No. 2 seed, Rose BC — the only team to defeat the Lunar Owls all season — will battle Kayle McBride's No. 3-seed Laces in the second single-elimination semifinal. That said, Rose may be without star Angel Reese, who exited Monday's regular-season finale after re-injuring her wrist.
How to watch the 2025 Unrivaled 3x3 Basketball semifinals
The four squads still standing tip off Unrivaled's first-ever playoffs on Sunday, March 16th, setting the stage for Monday's championship game.
The first semifinal between the Rose and Laces will begin at 7:30 PM ET, immediately followed by the Vinyl's battle against the Lunar Owls.
Sunday's semifinals will air live on TNT.
With just one week before the regular season wraps up, Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball announced several roster changes ahead of Monday’s games.
In a blow to last-place Phantom BC, star Sabrina Ionescu's Unrivaled season is officially over. The Liberty standout left Miami due to commitments made before she agreed to join the offseason league.
In her stead, a reassignment has sent Minnesota Lynx guard and Laces BC player Natisha Hiedeman to compete for the Phantom.
Ionescu’s NY Liberty teammate Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is also on her way out, with the Laces relief signee exiting due to an undisclosed injury.
In better news, while the Laces’ Kate Martin and Rose BC’s Kahleah Copper are currently sidelined with injuries, both are expected to return to the Unrivaled court before the league crowns its champion on March 17th.
To help address the roster omissions, the 3×3 league has again boosted its relief player pool. One week after former Washington Mystic-turned-new Chicago Sky signee Ariel Atkins made her Unrivaled debut with the Laces, the league inked Atlanta Dream forward Naz Hillmon to the relief player roster.
Hillmon's contract has her available to fill the league's needs across any of its six teams through the end of the inaugural season.
First-ever Unrivaled playoffs take shape
Despite mounting injuries, Rose BC clinched a spot in Unrivaled’s first-ever postseason on Monday, claiming the playoff position by taking down the Laces 58-53 behind yet another Chelsea Gray game-winner.
A win on Friday will secure the No. 2 seed for Rose — but they’ll have to defeat the league-leading No. 1 seed Lunar Owls to make it happen.
Each of the league's teams have just two games left to book a postseason spot. With two already claimed, the final two semifinalist bids will come down to the wire, as the Laces, Vinyl, and Mist all sit tied with a 5-7 record entering this weekend's final stretch.