After reports surfaced that she underwent ankle surgery, Napheesa Collier showed up on opening night of the Unrivaled 3×3 league in street clothes — and WNBA fans wasted no time reacting.
Collier, who co-founded the league alongside Breanna Stewart, was seen on the sideline wearing jeans and an oversized green shirt. Some fans joked that she’d been styled by Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, better known as Stud Budz, while others zeroed in on the details.
@kris_Chaney32 joked, “She matches the sprite chair cover.”
She matches the sprite chair cover
— Kris Chaney 🎙️ 🏀 (@kris_chaney32) January 6, 2026
@Saquon_szn_ added, “Girl woke up like ‘hmmm I’m gonna dress like it’s 2016.’”
Not everyone piled on, though.
@broussard52 pushed back, saying, “Phee is chilling dealing with after ankle surgery. I’m sure she just wanted to be comfortable.”
Before the season tipped off, Unrivaled announced that Collier would miss four to six months while recovering from ankle surgeries, effectively ruling her out for the league’s second season.
“This isn’t helpful, girl”: WNBA fans cry foul over Napheesa Collier’s recent comments on WNBA CBA talks
While Collier may be sidelined on the court, she remains deeply involved in WNBPA negotiations with the league as the current CBA expired back in October 2025.
With a January 9 deadline looming, fans weren’t thrilled with comments Collier made during the Unrivaled broadcast.
“Being on this side with Unrivaled, I know what it takes to run a sustainable business. So I think if they can’t find a model that makes that happen, they need to put people in place who can.”
That statement quickly drew backlash online, with some fans calling it tone-deaf and others questioning her role in the talks.
@SarcasmStardust responded, “Unrivaled been around for five seconds and isn’t anywhere NEAR comparable to the W. This isn’t helpful, girl.”
@JudgementalAF22 added, “Conflict of interest, get her tf out of that position. Put in the cba that no wnba player can play in unrivaled. Poof unrivaled no longer exists.”
@echavis was even harsher, saying, “This is comical. This is a 3v3 popup league that has only been around 2 years. She’s destroyed the negotiations, personally, to inflated her league. They can’t even get the biggest stars.”
Between her sideline appearance and her comments on league business, Collier has found herself under a microscope — and WNBA fans aren’t letting much slide right now.
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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.
