WNBA Star Napheesa Collier Talks Power Moves, CBA, and More!

Summary

Podcast Summary: No Offseason – WNBA Star Napheesa Collier Talks Power Moves, CBA, and More!

Podcast: No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
Episode Date: March 8, 2026
Hosts: Zena Keita, Chantel Jennings, Sabreena Merchant
Guest: Napheesa Collier (WNBA star, Unrivaled co-founder)
Summary Author: [Your Name - fill as needed]

---

Episode Overview

In this episode, No Offseason brings a special interview with WNBA star and Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier. The conversation, held in Miami, dives into the creation and vision behind the new women’s basketball league Unrivaled, the ongoing labor movement in the WNBA, the financial landscape of women’s basketball, and Collier’s outspoken leadership. Key themes include player empowerment, the relationship between rival leagues, and the push for fair compensation and conditions in women’s professional basketball.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Birth and Vision of Unrivaled

• Origins: Unrivaled was started in 2023 by Collier and co-founder Breanna Stewart out of frustration with WNBA offseasons spent overseas and a desire to keep players in the U.S., maximizing both their incomes and visibility for brand-building.
  • “You have to go overseas in the offseason to supplement your income—and I'm missing time with my family...Most of our money is made off the court, so brand building is crucial to our livelihoods.” – Napheesa Collier [02:42]
• League Format: The founders settled on a 3-on-3 model to emphasize skill and keep the competition elite, acknowledging it would be an initial challenge to sell.
• Initial Challenges: Getting financial backing was tough—investors wanted to see commitment from others first.
  • “Getting our first dominoes to fall was the hardest one, because who's going to be the first person to take a plunge?” – Napheesa Collier [04:09]

Player Buy-In and Equity

• Compensation: Unrivaled set a high bar for competitive salaries, with players granted equity in the league, aligning buy-in and performance.
  • “In sports, you don't get equity a lot. The fact that they are literally invested in—if the league does well, they make more money. What more buy-in can you have than that?” – Napheesa Collier [04:42]

Fan Engagement and Evolving Support

• Atmosphere: Hosting games in Philadelphia led to a sold-out arena and an unprecedented energy for women's pro basketball.
  • “I've never experienced that kind of energy in a building before...It was unbelievable.” – Napheesa Collier [05:15]
• Beyond Pity Support: Collier addressed the shift from “pity support” to genuine appreciation from fans as the sport attracts broader and more casual audiences.
  • “I don't want your pity support. I want you to love what I'm doing. Love what my craft is.” – Napheesa Collier [05:43]

Unrivaled and WNBA: Rivalry or Synergy?

• Seasonal Harmony: Collier dispelled the narrative that Unrivaled and the WNBA are competitors since they operate in opposite seasons and actually enhance each other’s visibility.
  • “We're in opposite seasons, so we're not even competing at the same time...It keeps those names relevant.” – Napheesa Collier [06:32]
• Missed Opportunity for WNBA: Collier shared that Unrivaled offered equity to the WNBA, which was declined prior to launch.
  • “We did offer equity...And they turned it down.” – Napheesa Collier [07:01]

Setting New Labor Standards

• Comparison with WNBA: Unrivaled set higher standards for salary, benefits, and equity than the WNBA’s ongoing labor negotiations.
  • “We have all these things without needing to be asked at Unrivaled...We exceed them.” – Napheesa Collier [07:23]
• Impact of New Leagues: More professional options for players increases negotiating power—as seen with Project B, a new global league.
  • “By having options, it allows us to have leverage—we don't have to just accept anything that you give us.” – Napheesa Collier [07:57]

CBA Negotiations & Revenue Sharing

• Calling Out Leadership: In her recent press conference, Collier called out WNBA management, expressing deep concern for the sport’s leadership and future.
  • “I'm concerned about the future of our sport...we have the best fans in the world. But right now, we have the worst leadership in the world.” – Napheesa Collier [08:31]
• Speaking Up: Collier emphasized that public pressure was essential after slow progress behind closed doors.
• Revenue Targets: The WNBA hit revenue goals, triggering an $8M distribution to players—“but that’s just 8%” of the revenue, which Collier argues is not a fair share.
  • “$8 million is a lot of money, but it's like 8% of everything that they made. We feel like we should have a fair slice...and 8% is not a fair slice.” – Napheesa Collier [10:31]

Leadership, Motivations, and the Future

• Rooted Leadership: Collier credits her resilience and entrepreneurial spirit to lessons from her family and her early basketball experiences.
  • “My parents never take no for an answer, so we have to thank them for that.” – Napheesa Collier [09:32]
• Looking Ahead: Collier sees herself chasing more championships and hopes Unrivaled continues to grow.
  • “Hopefully I have a couple championships...Hopefully Unrivaled has continued to grow even more.” – Napheesa Collier [10:55]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Brand Building & Income:
  “Most of our money is made off the court, so brand building is crucial to our livelihoods.” – Napheesa Collier [02:42]
• On Player Equity:
  “The fact that they are literally invested in—if the league does well, they make more money. What more buy-in can you have than that?” – Napheesa Collier [04:42]
• On Fan Passion:
  “I don't want your pity support. I want you to love what I'm doing. Love what my craft is.” – Napheesa Collier [05:43]
• On Competing Leagues:
  “We did offer equity...And they turned it down...That's their loss.” – Napheesa Collier [07:01, 07:10]
• On Labor Advocacy:
  “I'm concerned about the future of our sport...But right now, we have the worst leadership in the world.” – Napheesa Collier [08:31]
• On Revenue Share:
  “We feel like we should have a fair slice of the benefits...and 8% is not a fair slice.” – Napheesa Collier [10:31]
• On Resilience:
  “My parents never take no for an answer, so we have to thank them for that.” – Napheesa Collier [09:32]

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:42] – Why Unrivaled started; impact of playing overseas; family sacrifices
• [04:09] – Early business challenges and seeking investors
• [04:42] – Pitching to players; equity and competitive salaries explained
• [05:15] – Philadelphia event and fan energy
• [05:43] – The concept of “pity support” vs. genuine fan engagement
• [06:32] – Unrivaled and WNBA: not direct competitors, mutual boosters
• [07:01] – WNBA declined equity stake in Unrivaled
• [07:23] – Unrivaled sets a new standard for treatment of players
• [07:57] – The arrival of Project B and increasing player leverage
• [08:31] – Collier's press conference statement on WNBA leadership
• [10:31] – Revenue share breakdown, argument for a larger player share
• [10:55] – Collier’s personal and league aspirations for the future

---

Tone & Language

The tone of the episode is direct, passionate, and informed. Collier is candid in her critiques of current conditions, optimistic about future possibilities, and frequently roots her perspective in personal experience and athlete community. The hosts maintain an engaging, conversational style, encouraging Collier to expand on her insights with both warmth and respect.

---

Conclusion

This episode of No Offseason offers a deep dive into both the systemic challenges and new possibilities within women's professional basketball. Through the voice of Napheesa Collier—an outspoken advocate and innovative leader—listeners gain a rare, inside look at labor advocacy, the mechanics behind new league formation, and the ongoing fight for a better future in women’s sports.

Transcript

[TurboTax Narrator]

It's that time of year again for taxes. We all know the stress of the old way of filing. You send your documents off and then absolute radio silence. You're stuck refreshing your inbox and sending awkward just checking in texts, wondering if they've even started. But with TurboTax Expert full service I know my TurboTax Expert takes taxes fully off my plate and updates me every step of the way so I don't have to worry. That way I can get back to the things that matter to me, like going on vacation in the spring or enjoying the NFL off season. So stop chasing updates. It's time to switch to the modern tax filing Solution with Intuit TurboTax. The best part? You can get Experts progress right on your phone while you go about your day. So go for a run or grab a coffee. You'll know your dedicated expert is handling it, looking for every last deduction to get you the best possible outcome and every dollar you deserve. File with confidence. Visit turbotax.com, only available with TurboTax Full Service Experts Real time updates only in

[Farnoosh Tarabi]

iOS mobile app hi, this is Farnoosh Tarabi from so Money with Farnoosh Tarabi and today I want to talk to you about Boost Mobile Quick Money Tip Stop paying a Carrier Tax if your phone bill feels trapped in a pricey plan, this is your sign to unlock savings. Boost Mobile helps you reset your spending with the $25 Unlimited Forever plan. You can bring your own phone, pay $25 and get unlimited wireless forever. And that simple switch can unlock up to $600 in savings a year that you could put towards paying down debt, investing, or something that actually brings you joy. Those savings are based on average annual single line payment of AT&T Verizon and T Mobile customers compared to 12 months on the Boost Mobile Unlimited plan as of January 2026. For full offer details, visit boostmobile.com Spring starts at home. Layer in fresh transportive scents room by room and let your space shift with the season. No overhaul, just an easy new feeling. Explore the spring [e-mail].

[Podcast Host]

What up new off season listeners? We've got something special for you today. Over on one of the other shows I host, the Athletic Show, I had the chance to travel down to Miami and interview unrivaled co founder and WNBA star Nafeesa Collier. I can't wait for you to hear this interview. Check out the full episode on Amazon Fire or check out the show on YouTube link in the show notes. Without further ado, here's Fi Fi Take Me Back to when unrivaled first came together. What was your thought process as you came up with this?

[Nafeesa Collier]

It happened, I guess, in 2023. Now. I had been in the WNBA a couple years by that point. You kind of see what's working, what's not. You know, you kind of see, like, the inconsistencies or the holes that could be filled. I had my daughter at that point, and it's like you have to go overseas in the off season to supplement your income. And I'm missing time with my family, I'm missing holidays. I'm out of the country. So that part was really hard. And a lot of people don't know. We make most of our money off the court, so brand building is crucial to, like, our livelihoods. Being visible for those brands is important. And when you're gone for six months in another country, they can't sign you because how are they going to use you? And then also just the sport is exploding so, so fast, and it feels like the people in the sport are not benefiting from that the way that they should. So through all those things, we kind of came up with, like, how can we fix that? And unrivaled was, I guess, like the baby of that.

[Podcast Host]

You said we. And I know that you co founded this league with Brianna Stewart.

[Nafeesa Collier]

Yes. We kind of started thinking like, hey, like, what is this going to look like? What is. What's the format going to be? And we came up with three on three pretty early, even though we knew it was going to be a hard sell in the beginning because it's different. And we knew we had to have the best players because that is what people want to see, like the best players in the world going against each other. So you can see how skilled they are. You can see these players. It was just like, once you start thinking down the road, it's like, hey, we know what our vision is, what we want to do. What are the steps to accomplish that?

[Podcast Host]

Where do you even start building something like this?

[Nafeesa Collier]

I mean, there's a lot that goes into it. Just stuff that you wouldn't even know, you didn't know. But I think coming up with a business model was the first step, because if you want to get this off the ground, you need money. And so you have to be able to present a plan to potential investors. So getting our first dominoes to fall was the hardest one, because who's going to be the first person to take a plunge? Everyone kept saying, okay, if you get people come back to. To us, you Know, but we have to have a first person that's like

[Podcast Host]

chicken or the egg like that.

[Nafeesa Collier]

Yeah, exactly. Once we started getting, of course, those first few people and more players on board, that helped a lot.

[Podcast Host]

What was it like bringing the idea to the players?

[Nafeesa Collier]

They were all super interested, you know, especially, like, when you start talking dollars and money like that, Sales people, that helps. Y. And we wanted our salaries to be really competitive. Like, we still have the highest, by far, an average team salary. Because in sports, you don't get equity a lot. And so the fact that they are literally invested in. If the league does well, they make more money. Like, what more buying can you have than that?

[Podcast Host]

You took this on the road, went to Philly.

[Nafeesa Collier]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Sold out an arena, made history. Tell us about that decision. Why did you want to take it to Philly?

[Nafeesa Collier]

We knew we wanted to go on the road from the very beginning, and Philly is ready for women's professional basketball. I've never experienced that kind of energy in a building before. It was unbelievable. It was cool. On the flip side, because I wasn't playing, I was able to appreciate it as a fan, just like, kind of sit back, appreciate what went into it. And I kind of took that moment during the player intros when they were coming down from the stands. So that was amazing. Yeah, they love the product that we put on the floor. And as an athlete, that's the best compliment.

[Farnoosh Tarabi]

Yeah.

[Nafeesa Collier]

Like, I don't want your pity support. I want you to love what I'm doing. Like, love what my craft is.

[Podcast Host]

I love this term pity support. Would you say that women's basketball has had that in the past?

[Nafeesa Collier]

I think the tone has been that, like, we have always had really very ride or die fans. Like, the WNBA is very loyal fan base. But I think now, as it's growing, you have more of a casual fan, which is extremely important for the sport. Like, to have. The casual fan is what makes it grow. I think it's a good thing. You're always gonna have the haters and the controversy and the negative people, but you need that, too. That's what grows the sport. And whether you hate it or love it, you're still watching, and that's giving us money.

[Podcast Host]

Count it up. Count it up. There's a narrative out there of the wnba, unrivaled competitors against each other. What do you think about that narrative?

[Nafeesa Collier]

I disagree. I mean, first of all, we're in opposite seasons, so we're not even competing at the same time. But also, I think we really help each other because One of the pain points was that when we aren't in the WNBA season, we go dark by having Unrival. You still have all these star players who are on tv. Every single one of our games is on on national television. So it keeps those names relevant. As Unrival grows and they go to the WNBA and they grow more there, then they come to Unrival and they grow more there.

[Podcast Host]

Did the W ever have an opportunity to be invol with Unrivaled?

[Nafeesa Collier]

They did, yeah. We did offer equity when we first before we launched. Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

And they turned it down.

[Nafeesa Collier]

They did.

[Podcast Host]

What do you think about that?

[Nafeesa Collier]

I mean, that's sounds like their loss.

[Podcast Host]

Look at what's going on in the wnba. You guys are going through your labor negotiations. What does Unrival do to set itself as a potential standard or a comparison for the W?

[Nafeesa Collier]

Everything we're fighting for is salary, benefits, equity. In the league. We have all these things without needing to be asked at Unrivaled. We want for nothing here. And not only do we meet like the minimum standards that we're begging for in the wnba, we exceed them. So players see here what professional life should look like. And so it's really hard when you've been given that to accept less.

[Podcast Host]

I know Neca Oguma K is now involved with Project B, a league that is supposed to be more so the global landscape. What was it like when you first learned about Project B? Thinking about another league popping up in a different space than the W?

[Nafeesa Collier]

It benefits the players more than anything because when you have a monopoly, it's like you're only forced to do that one thing. By having options. It allows us to have leverage where we don't have to just accept anything that you give us. Because if you don't give us what we're owed, like we have other places that we can go. And so when anyone has a job that is paying them, I'm happy for them.

[Podcast Host]

So I want to get to the WNBA back to win. You have your exit interview, your end of season press conference, and you go in there and you say a statement that is powerful.

[Nafeesa Collier]

I'm concerned about the future of our sport. We have the best players in the world, we have the best fans in the world. But right now we have the worst leadership in the world. We'd already been in negotiations for many months at that time, and I just felt like there was things that needed to come to light. Just public pressure I think is very important. And trying to get things done, like behind closed doors wasn't Working. And I think some things that I heard were wrong, and I felt. I just felt like I needed to stand up and to say it. So I think it helped give us a little bit of leverage, a little bit of momentum.

[Podcast Host]

Were you surprised by the reaction around it?

[Nafeesa Collier]

I was actually like, of course. I knew basketball people would hear it, but it definitely reached farther than I thought it would, which I don't think is a bad thing. I think it's so important, the narrative around these things, too. People received it positively, but even if they hadn't, I feel really strongly like that what I said was the right thing. And so you kind of have to be okay with that, too. Like, you can't control how other people receive things. And so I knew that going in.

[Podcast Host]

Where does that strength come from?

[Nafeesa Collier]

My family is like. My family raised me this way. When I was younger, I was in, like, a small town in. In Missouri, and I was trying to get on a basketball team. No one would take me on the team, basically. And instead of just taking that, my parents were like, okay, we'll create our own team. And so we recruited a bunch of girls from, like, kind of fringe cities in Missouri, and we created the lady warriors, and we became the best basketball team in Missouri. So my parents never take no for an answer, so we have to thank them for that.

[Podcast Host]

I just feel like that is the premonition of unrivaled.

[Nafeesa Collier]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

News comes out that the WNBA has actually hit their revenue target, which triggers financial distribution revenue share to the WNBA players to the tune of 16 million. 8 million of which is going to go to the players, the rest going to the league marketing agreement. That's a lot of money. How does that impact this labor negotiation that's going on right now?

[Nafeesa Collier]

Yes, of course, $8 million is a lot of money, but it's like 8% of everything that they made. We feel like we should have a fair slice of the benefits of that. And 8% is not a fair slice of that.

[Podcast Host]

So now looking back on year two, time is rolling. Things are going fast. But where do you see yourself in five years?

[Nafeesa Collier]

Hopefully I have a couple championships. Yes, that would be great. Hopefully Unrivaled has continued to grow even more and continue to get better.

[Podcast Host]

Thank you so much for sitting down with us. Yeah, thank you.

[Farnoosh Tarabi]

Hi, this is Farnoosh Tarabi from so Money with Farnoosh Tarabi. And today I want to talk to you about Boost Mobile. Quick money tip. Stop paying a carrier tax. If your phone bill feels trapped in a pricey plan, this is your sign to unlock savings Boost Mobile helps you reset your spending with the 25 Unlimited Forever plan, you can bring your own phone, pay $25 and get unlimited wireless forever. And that simple switch can unlock up to $600 in savings a year. That's money you could put towards paying down debt, investing or something that actually brings you joy. Those savings are based on average annual single line payment of AT and T Verizon and T Mobile customers, compared to 12 months on the Boost Mobile Unlimited plan as of January 2026. For full offer details, visit boostmobile.com with

[Capital One Narrator]

no fees or minimums on checking accounts, it's no wonder the Capital One bank guy is so passionate about banking. With Capital One, if he were here, he wouldn't just tell you about no fees or minimums. He'd also talk about how most Capital One cafes are open seven days a week to assist with your banking needs. Yep, even on weekends it's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capitalone.com bank capital1na member FDIC

[Wayfair Narrator]

that's the sound of a big deal. At Wayfair. That sound happens a lot. Dream sofa for half the price. Big deal. New dining table you've been eyeing for months. Big deal. Finally picking up those last few pieces and finishing that bedroom. Now that's a really big deal. Whatever your home needs, Wayfair has the selection, the savings and over millions of five star reviews to back it up. Shop Wayfair.com today before someone else snags your big deal.

[Nafeesa Collier]

Wayfair Every style, every home.