MEDLEY, Fla. — Napheesa Collier co-founded the Unrivaled women’s basketball league with Breanna Stewart. She won the league’s 1-on-1 tournament and its $200,000 cash prize. And she has added another Unrivaled accolade during the league’s historic inaugural season.
Collier was named Unrivaled Most Valuable Player, jogging onto a stage and waving to fans during a pregame ceremony before the league’s semifinal playoff games on Sunday night.
Collier led Unrivaled with 25.7 points per game, and was instrumental in the Lunar Owls clinching the No. 1 overall seed in the postseason with a 13-1 record during the regular season. She was also named to the All-Unrivaled First Team earlier this week.
‘Phee, you are the queen of the highest court in the land. That’s not only because for your remarkable achievements as a world-class top athlete, but also what you’ve co-created with Breanna Stewart,’ Unrivaled commissioner Micky Lawler said.
‘What you’ve co-created has changed the trajectory for your fellow players, for every stakeholder in basketball, and every lover in basketball. Unrivaled is going to be a very important chapter in sports history. Congrats on being our amazing first MVP of Unrivaled.’
Collier led Unrivaled with 25.7 points per game, while her 10.6 rebounds ranked fourth in the league. She was one of four players to average a double-double – joined by Stewart, Alyssa Thomas and Angel Reese.
Collier also led Unrivaled with a 61.3 shooting percent from the floor, two steals per game and co-led the league with Brittany Griner with 1.4 blocks per game.
The Lunar Owls outscored their opponents by 170 points during the season.
Collier also won Unrivaled’s 1-on-1 tournament. She beat Katie Lou Samuelson in the first round, Rickea Jackson in the second round, her Lunar Owls teammate Courtney Williams in the quarterfinal, and beat Aaliyah Edwards in the final. She also secured $10,000 for each of her club teammates — Williams, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Allisha Gray, and Shakira Austin by winning the tournament.
‘I just have to say I wouldn’t be here without my team and my coaches,” Collier said. ‘They pushed me everyday to be my best …. This is not a solo award. This is a team award, and I want to say ‘thank you’ to them.’
Collier was ruled questionable to play in Sunday’s semifinal game against the No. 4 Vinyl, but was in uniform and jogged onto the stage for her MVP ceremony.