Latest news with #Collier
Boston Globe
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
The Minnesota Lynx won four WNBA championships from 2011-17. Will Napheesa Collier lead them to another this season?
The Lynx pictured Collier being next in a long lineage. 'Knowing that the team was being passed to me in a way that they had kind of primed me for that leadership,' Collier said, 'that just brings a different mind-set where you have to be more aggressive.' In seven seasons, she's done nothing but prove the Lynx right. Advertisement Collier is a five-time All-Star ( NAPHEESA COLLIIIIER 🔥🔥 36 PTS. 9 REB. NEW SCORING RECORD. And your — WNBA (@WNBA) On top of that, as vice president of the Women's National Basketball Players Association, Collier has been instrumental in the players' push for a larger share of revenue in an era of growth and expansion. And she's doing that while also being a co-founder of 'She's gone from 2019, the rookie learning how to lead, to look where she is now,' Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. 'Being an entrepreneur with Unrivaled really elevated her, being a part of the [WNBPA] executive committee, representing the entire league as part of a group that is trying to bring the league forward. She has grown so much.' Advertisement The Lynx have made the playoffs in all but one of Collier's seven seasons. (She missed much of the 2022 season while on maternity leave). But that was never the ceiling. 'I think there's been high expectations since I got here,' Collier said at All-Star weekend. 'Even in our 'rebuilding years,' we still had four championships, so there was like residual vengeance from other teams where now they feel like they could beat up on us.' That didn't last long. The Lynx won the Commissioner's Cup last season, then marched to the WNBA Finals, coming within a win of what would have been a record fifth title. This season, they've been a machine, a league-best 20-4. They have the league's best net rating (plus-12.4), and they're dangerous from essentially everywhere on the floor (67.9 percent shooting in the paint, 41.6 from midrange, and 35.1 percent on 3-pointers, all second in the league). Collier is putting together another season worthy of MVP consideration, averaging 23.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, scoring from all three levels, while being a top-10 rebounder and top-five rim protector (1.6 blocks per game). 'She is so graceful, no matter what the movement is,' Reeve said. 'Even when she's trash talking. It's very graceful when you look at it. I don't have that in just a half of my pinkie, the level of grace that she has.' Advertisement And with the Lynx hunting another title — their first in the Collier era — nothing has changed, including the expectations. 'I feel like we're back more in that top-dog spot,' Collier said. 'I don't really feel like that ever went away. So it feels natural to the Lynx, and I think they always embrace it. When there's a target on your back, it means you're good and people want to be where you are. So, that's a good place to be.' Appointment viewing Atlanta Dream at Las Vegas Aces, Tuesday, 10 p.m.: The Aces, hanging on to the eighth spot in the standings, are trying to shake off an underwhelming first half. They get a chance to make up some ground against the Dream, who are two games ahead in the standings. Phoenix Mercury at New York Liberty, Friday, 7:30 p.m.: Expect a shootout between the top two 3-point-shooting teams in the league. Both teams average 10 threes per game. Seattle Storm at Washington Mystics, Saturday, 7:30 p.m.: Earlier this month, the Storm blew a 10-point, fourth-quarter lead to the Mystics. Now that Mystics rookies Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron are All-Stars, it's hard to imagine they'll sneak up on anyone in the second half. Julian Benbow can be reached at
Irish Independent
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Promising young Wicklow camogie side no match for Laois in All-Ireland semi-final
Last year's beaten finalists took care of business against Wicklow with a facile 4-15 to 0-3 victory, while Armagh turned on the after-burners in the second half of their match against Roscommon to prevail by 2-17 to 1-8. Laois were pretty much assured of their final berth at half-time, building up an unassailable 3-9 to 0-3 lead at the interval. The die was cast inside two minutes when Susie Delaney found the net after the Portlaoise forward's initial effort was saved by Wicklow goalkeeper Leanne Lifely. Wicklow competed well in the opening quarter and were given encouragement when Ciara Connolly, Sophie Bermingham (free) and Sive Byrne found the target. But Laois flexed their muscles further, hitting an answered 2-5 before the break. Both goals came from full-forward and player of the match Aimee Collier — the first coming from the penalty spot after the elusive Delaney was fouled bearing down on goal. Then, in the 28th minute, Eimear Hassett's long-range point attempt was batted into the path of Collier, and she made no mistake from close range. There was still time for the full-forward line of Collier, Hassett and Delaney to add further points to leave Laois in the box seat at the change of ends, leading by 15 points. Laois never relented defensively in the second half, so much so that Wicklow didn't have their first attempt on goal until the 17th minute of the half. Gráinne Delaney demonstrated her side's intent with a score less than ten seconds after the throw-in. Collier added a free before Eimear Hassett grabbed a score that summed up her side's tenacity, winning back possession before splitting the posts from 30 metres. ADVERTISEMENT Collier stretched her side's lead with another free before Hassett produced a tidy finish for Laois' fourth goal in the 38th minute. Lifely produced a smart save to deny Kirsten Keenan but the Laois centre-forward did get her name on the scoresheet when she pointed after great work from Hassett and Collier. Amy Daly marked her introduction with a point as the one-way traffic continued — Laois leading by 4-15 to 0-3 entering the final ten minutes. Wicklow kept plugging away and Aedin Lowry had to produce a smart save to deny Sive Byrne, while a close-range free from Sophie Bermingham was snuffed out by the Laois defence. There were no further scores as Laois returned to the final. Wicklow are at a different stage in their development compared to Laois, but manager Rob O'Neill feels that a notable upward move is on the horizon. 'The average age of the Wicklow team is around 19 or 20. Our half-back line, who were outstanding, were made up of 17-year-olds. 'The quantity and quality of players that are coming through the ranks from underage in Wicklow is phenomenal. 'It won't be too long before Wicklow are challenging for national titles. 'Take nothing away from Laois who are a serious outfit and are probably expecting nothing less than an All-Ireland title, but my focus is on Wicklow. 'We're in a rebuilding cycle. We talk about individuals winning games and teams winning championships. That's what we're looking at — we're looking to put together a championship-winning team.'
7NEWS
a day ago
- Sport
- 7NEWS
WNBA stars unite in powerful six-word statement over CBA ahead of All-Stars clash
The WNBA All-Stars wanted to send a clear message to the league on the game's brightest stage. All players on Team Clark and Team Collier warmed up for Saturday night's WNBA All-Star Game in shirts that read 'Pay us what you owe us.' 'We get a very tiny percentage of all the money that's made through the WNBA, which obviously is made through the entertainment we provide,' Napheesa Collier said on the decision to wear the shirts. 'So we want a fair and reasonable percentage of that.' The idea was hatched Saturday morning at a players meeting. The demonstration comes after the players and the league failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement at an in-person meeting Thursday. The league's players opted out of their last CBA in October, and are looking for a better revenue-sharing model, increased salaries, improved benefits and a softer salary cap. After the failed negotiations, many players said there was a large discrepancy between what they wanted and what the league was offering. If a new CBA is not reached by October some players, including All-Stars Collier and Angel Reese, have mentioned the potential of a walkout. At the end of the game, chants of 'Pay them!' broke out in the arena. Some fans held signs that read 'Pay the players,' during the game. 'We had no idea that they were in solidarity with our demonstration,' said Nneka Ogwumike, president of the WNBPA. 'I've been hearing it all weekend at the fan events, supporting us and wanting us to get our fair share of the value.' This was potentially the last time that so many players would be together in one place before the season ends — a fact not lost on the union leadership. 'This is a perfect opportunity to raise awareness for what we're doing and do it together,' Collier said. The players aren't decided whether they'll wear the shirts on their own teams over the course of the second half of the season which begins Tuesday. They hope that fans will wear them as the union announced on social media during the game that the shirts were on sale. Ogwumike was unaware that the shirts were already on sale. 'You put it out there, and you stand on business,' Courtney Williams said about the shirts. 'And we're standing on business.'
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 Arizona Cardinals training camp roster preview: DL L.J. Collier
We will preview every player on the Cardinals roster leading up to training camp. This is about DL L.J. Collier. The Arizona Cardinals report to training camp on July 22 and begin the process of preparing for the regular season, forming the roster and determining starting jobs and roles on the team. Leading up to the start of camp, we will take a look at every player on the offseason roster, their background, their contract, their play in 2024, questions they face and their roster outlook. Next up is defensive lineman L.J. Collier. L.J. Collier background, 2024 season A first-round pick from Texas Christian by the Seahawks in 2019, Collier has played the last two seasons with the Cardinals after signing as an unrestricted free agent in 2023 and then being re-signed as a UFA this year on March 14. In 17 games (15 starts), he played 590 defensive snaps (54 percent) and one snap on special teams. Collier totaled 29 tackles (13 solo, four for loss), 3.5 sacks, six quarterback hits, one fumble recovery and two passes defensed. L.J. Collier 2025 contract details, cap hit The one-year contract he signed this year is worth $3 million with $1.5 million guaranteed, including a $750,000 signing bonus. His $1.945 million base salary has $750,000 guaranteed and the salary-cap charge is $3 million. 2025 questions, roster outlook Collier was a strong leader and one of the most consistent defensive linemen on the team last season. However, thanks to a deep position room, he might be in a battle for a roster spot. It's worth watching to see how things play out over the course of the summer. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
NBC Sports
2 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Napheesa Collier caps busy weekend with All-Star Game MVP Award in win over Team Clark
Napheesa Collier played the role of All-Star captain perfectly. First, she made all the right picks for her roster. Then she answered all the labor questions. And finally, she showed everyone, even the WNBA's young guns, how to stay focused on basketball. The five-time All-Star scored a record 36 points, grabbed nine rebounds and led the aptly named Team Collier past Team Clark 151-131 in the highest scoring All-Star Game in WNBA history. Naturally, Collier was selected the MVP. She made 13 of 16 shots, four from the specially designed AT&T logo 4-point-line that seemed perfectly aligned for Caitlin Clark, the other team captain who didn't play because of a right groin injury. And it was all by design. 'I tried to make my team not have that many new players,' Collier said. 'I've played with a lot of them and so it was good to get back with them, play with, like you said, some of those new players I haven't played with before.' But for Collier, this weekend in Indianapolis was about much more than a single game. The vice president of the Women's National Basketball Players Association executive committee, co-founder of the Unrivaled basketball league and the league's first one-on-one tournament champion, never got distracted by a demanding schedule that forced her to prioritize the WNBA's future over adding another award to her trophy case. Collier spent Thursday afternoon negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement and Friday answering questions from a throng of reporters detailing the meeting. On Saturday, she shared the pregame stage with Clark for a news conference between the captains. And after the game, there were even more questions about the CBA. 'I feel like I haven't been able to forget it (Thursday's meeting) because people won't let us, which is amazing,' Collier said. 'Just the awareness we've raised this weekend, you guys asking these questions, the fans doing the chants, that, like, gave me chills.' But Collier also helped fuel the effort. She, like the other All-Stars, wore a T-shirt that read 'Pay us what you owe us' during pregame warmups. Then she reinforced the message with a historic game. Collier broke the All-Star Game's individual scoring record while her team scored a record 82 first-half points. Another of Collier's picks, Seattle guard Skylar Diggins, became the first player with an All-Star triple-double in the same venue she led Notre Dame to the national championship game more than a decade ago. And Collier even connected with rookie Paige Bueckers, both former UConn stars, for a basket. The captain couldn't have scripted it any better. 'We set a lot of records,' Collier said. 'Skylar had a triple-double, which is insane. It was just so fun. We had a great time.'
