Napheesa Collier guested on Monday’s episode of Paul George’s “Podcast P.” The four-time WNBA All-Star talked to the nine-time NBA All-Star about the devastating loss she and the Minnesota Lynx suffered at the hands of the New York Liberty in the 2024 WNBA Finals.
The two players’ discussion centered on the officiating, especially on the game-deciding foul calls. George nonchalantly asked Collier if she thought they were “robbed” of the championship. She had a candid response to the Philadelphia 76ers guard/forward.
“For sure, I thought the officiating was terrible,” Collier said. “I think that’s the consensus for everyone. It was really tough, it was a really hard game for us and it never comes down to one call. Now obviously in my opinion I thought that was really egregious, the travel before that, the foul call at the end. It didn’t come down to that, it was bad the entire game.”
Why Napheesa Collier believes the Lynx were robbed of a WNBA title. pic.twitter.com/AXbYsiccBY
— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) November 4, 2024
The egregious call Collier was referring to happened in the last six seconds of Game 5, with the Lynx up by two points and the Liberty in possession of the ball. They inbounded the ball to Breanna Stewart, who tried to tie the game, but a foul was called on her attempt. However, the officials apparently missed seeing her travel before attempting the shot.
Many disagreed that Stewart was fouled. Despite the Lynx challenging the call, the officials’ ruling stood and Stewart was sent to the line, where she successfully made two free throws to tie the game and send the match to overtime. From there, the Liberty outscored the Lynx, clinching the win and the WNBA championship.
As if sending a note to herself, Collier said that they shouldn’t have let the game get to a point where the referees decide the game. And despite feeling bad at the loss, she still congratulated the Liberty for winning the series.
Napheesa Collier and Paul George discuss ‘Unrivaled’
Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart may have been rivals in the WNBA Finals, but they are also in fact business partners. Collier and Steward co-founded a women’s three-on-three basketball league called “Unrivaled.” The league is set to open this coming January and will feature six teams comprising 36 WNBA players.
In the same “Podcast P” episode, Paul George asked Collier how she and Stewart came up with the idea. Collier prefaced her answer by talking about how several WNBA players have to go abroad after every season to play more and earn more. Due to that schedule, players barely get rest and some even deal with injuries suffered abroad.
Napheesa Collier added the financial aspect. According to her, players make most of their money off court through branding, which they can’t capitalize on when they’re playing out of the country.
To address these concerns, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart came up with the Unrivaled league. Players who join the league get to remain in the United States to play in the offseason to add to their earnings outside the WNBA. Collier said that the league offers the highest average salary in women’s sports.
Including Collier and Stewart, 30 players have been confirmed to join Unrivaled.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
