Even before the launch of the 2025 regular season campaign, WNBA GMs knew Napheesa Collier would be on fire—and they were right. A whopping 67% of them picked her as their MVP favorite, while 60% believed the Minnesota Lynx would win the title. Now, 24 games in, Collier is proving every prediction right as the Lynx lead the league with a 20-4 overall record. And Collier? She’s been phenomenal—averaging 23.2 points per game. She was just crowned All-Star MVP with 36 points and nine rebounds in just 19 minutes of play. Yes, just 19 minutes. But that’s not the only thing worth celebrating!

Beyond being a full-time mom, a franchise player, a team captain, and a wife, Collier is also the co-founder of the 3×3 league Unrivaled, which kicked off earlier this year. And though it’s been months since the league crowned its first-ever champion, with Colier taking the MVP crown, Unrivaled is once again making headlines with major achievements.

The league recently shared a post stating that 91% of its players have hit a career high in at least one statistical category. So, naturally, when Collier saw the post, she did not hold back from sharing it on her Instagram story.

And yes, no caption needed, as the numbers spoke for themselves. And that wasn’t all. Just yesterday, the league dropped another update on X, writing, “Over a third of Unrivaled players are having their best scoring year yet.” Yes, 35% of Unrivaled’s athletes are averaging career highs in points per game.

Still skeptical? Look at the names: Aliyah Boston, Allisha Gray, Angel Reese, Azurá Stevens, Brittney Sykes, Kate Martin, Lexie Hull, Marina Mabrey, Satou Sabally, Sabrina Ionescu, Shakira Austin, and of course, Napheesa Collier herself, who’s leading the WNBA in scoring with her 23.2 PPG average.

But, this post, Collier didn’t just hit repost; she added the word “Period” with a nail-painting emoji too. I mean, why not? She has every reason to celebrate. “It’s more iron sharpens iron,” her husband and Unrivaled’s president, Alex Bazzell had said about the off-season showdown, and best believe, we are seeing the results.

So the Lynx guard hasn’t stopped promoting her league. Even as she drafted players for her All-Star team, she slyly slid in the mentions. One, she wore a t-shirt that read Unrivaled. And two, she did not stop name dropping her Lunar Owls teammates (she did a clean sweep too). But then a few days in, they dropped a huge news– 14 college basketball players were signing NIL deal with the league.

“This is about locking in the best players early and giving them the resources, platform, and support to grow with us,” Luke Copper had said. Collier’s Instagram reshare, if anything, is a direct reassurance of that. It’s all going right for Unrivaled. But doesn’t mean the Lynx icon is leaving the W behind.

Napheesa Collier’s fighting for W’s other players too!

When Collier’s husband, and Unrivaled president, said, “When it comes to each individual player, I think what we’re most proud of is they’re making more here per game than any league in the world… We want to now set the new standard of what expectation is for pay on the court,” he wasn’t exaggerating. It’s because the 3 by 3 league has, in many ways, set a new example for the WNBA to follow.

Unrivaled has been successful in its first season, offering its players competitive pay. And W? The women’s pro league just stretched its schedule to 44 games, the maximum allowed under the current CBA. And even after two meetings, results have been far from satisfying. While the league continues to expand its teams and audience, players are not seeing proportional compensation, despite increased injuries, back-to-back games, and persistent officiating issues.

But change is coming and Collier is leading it, not just as a player, but as the Vice President of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association Executive Committee. So, when she walked into Gainbridge Fieldhouse against Team CC in the All-Star Game, she came with purpose.

Just days before, she spent an entire afternoon in CBA negotiations. And right before the All-Star game, she and several players wore “Pay Us What You Owe Us” T-shirts. Well, the message was loud and clear. And yes, she’s not alone as after the game, fans chanted “Pay them more,” while Brittney Sykes held up a sign that read “Pay the Players.”

Reflecting on the moment, Collier shared, “I feel like I haven’t been able to forget it (Thursday’s meeting) because people won’t let us, which is amazing… Just the awareness we’ve raised this weekend, you guys asking these questions, the fans doing the chants—that gave me chills.” 

Whether it’s on the court as a scorer, at the table as a negotiator, or on social media reshaping narratives, Napheesa Collier is everywhere, setting the standard, leading by example.