Report: Lynx star Napheesa Collier donates prize money to her staff

Lynx star Napheesa Collier is reportedly giving $100,000 to the training and performance staff and assistant coaches working for her team, the Lunar Owls, after the first season of the Unrivaled basketball league she co-founded.

The money is half of her prize money she won in Unrivaled's first one-on-one tournament, where Collier defeated Washington Mystics forward Aaliyah Edwards in the final on Feb. 14. According to ESPN, Collier wanted to "make sure she found a way to show appreciation to the staff members" that have put work into the startup league.

Collier co-founded the league with WNBA star Breanna Stewart as a way to give WNBA players an offseason alternative to playing overseas. Unrivaled built a custom arena and practice facilities in Miami. It also claims to be offering the highest average salary of any women's sports league.

The 28-year-old forward was the No. 6 overall pick by the Lynx in the 2019 draft. In six seasons, Collier has averaged 17.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game for Minnesota. 

She won the 2019 Rookie of the Year award and is a four-time All-Star. 

In 2024, Collier won her first Defensive Player of the Year award and led the Lynx to within a game of winning the WNBA title, losing to the New York Liberty in Game 5 of the finals.