Napheesa Collier

Yeah. Being successful helps. Yeah.

Yeah. Being successful helps. Yeah.

oh me and my brother still laugh about this i don't even know if our parents know but we were fighting in our room about something we were like in the playroom where all the toys were and uh we were trying to have a competition i can't remember what it was but kai my brother had just started watching like wwe wrestling and so we started wrestling and he grabbed my head and did like a knee like he pulled my head down and hit me with his knee i was like

oh me and my brother still laugh about this i don't even know if our parents know but we were fighting in our room about something we were like in the playroom where all the toys were and uh we were trying to have a competition i can't remember what it was but kai my brother had just started watching like wwe wrestling and so we started wrestling and he grabbed my head and did like a knee like he pulled my head down and hit me with his knee i was like

Yeah. I heard a crack in my skull. He's like, don't tell mom, don't tell mom. I was like, give me $100 and I won't tell mom.

Yeah. I heard a crack in my skull. He's like, don't tell mom, don't tell mom. I was like, give me $100 and I won't tell mom.

No, he had $100. I knew he had $100. Okay.

No, he had $100. I knew he had $100. Okay.

No, I think he just rattled my brain a little bit, so I heard it on the inside. I don't even know if I had a bump. I just remember you have to fake cry, play it up a little bit to really make him feel bad and like he's going to get in trouble.

No, I think he just rattled my brain a little bit, so I heard it on the inside. I don't even know if I had a bump. I just remember you have to fake cry, play it up a little bit to really make him feel bad and like he's going to get in trouble.

I think a couple. I would say my first true adversity in sport was definitely my freshman year at UConn because Coach Gino has said a lot of times he breaks players down to build them back up. And you go into college knowing, like I had never lifted a weight before going to college. I knew it was going to be hard physically, but mentally I was not prepared for how hard it was going to be.

I think a couple. I would say my first true adversity in sport was definitely my freshman year at UConn because Coach Gino has said a lot of times he breaks players down to build them back up. And you go into college knowing, like I had never lifted a weight before going to college. I knew it was going to be hard physically, but mentally I was not prepared for how hard it was going to be.

Like in high school, if we were going to do a backdoor, that was like a specific play call. We were not reading the game physically. And so him teaching that was the most painful process. I could not remember a play to save my life. I was just so anxious all the time. And it was so, so hard. I mean, I lost my starting spot middle of a game, one game, barely played after that.

Like in high school, if we were going to do a backdoor, that was like a specific play call. We were not reading the game physically. And so him teaching that was the most painful process. I could not remember a play to save my life. I was just so anxious all the time. And it was so, so hard. I mean, I lost my starting spot middle of a game, one game, barely played after that.

And then I worked my ass off the whole summer. I was doing two days with my husband now. He was my trainer for a couple years before we started dating. I was doing two days with him. I came back feeling better than ever. And the one thing I could do my freshman year was rebound. I couldn't do anything else. Couldn't remember a play. Couldn't make a basket. I could rebound.

And then I worked my ass off the whole summer. I was doing two days with my husband now. He was my trainer for a couple years before we started dating. I was doing two days with him. I came back feeling better than ever. And the one thing I could do my freshman year was rebound. I couldn't do anything else. Couldn't remember a play. Couldn't make a basket. I could rebound.

And the practice player we were playing against, he got a rebound. The coach stops practice. He's like, Faisa, that's why you didn't play last year. That's why you'll never play this year. And that's why you'll never be good here. Get a fucking rebound. I was like, cool. The one thing I could do right. But it made me into the player I am today.

And the practice player we were playing against, he got a rebound. The coach stops practice. He's like, Faisa, that's why you didn't play last year. That's why you'll never play this year. And that's why you'll never be good here. Get a fucking rebound. I was like, cool. The one thing I could do right. But it made me into the player I am today.

It taught me how to read the game, how to be a smart basketball player. Because he would always say, it's funny, because my freshman year, Stewie was a senior. That's when they had won four championships in a row, never been done. And after they graduated, he's like, well, all the talent's gone, so you guys need to be smarter because we don't have any more talented basketball players.

It taught me how to read the game, how to be a smart basketball player. Because he would always say, it's funny, because my freshman year, Stewie was a senior. That's when they had won four championships in a row, never been done. And after they graduated, he's like, well, all the talent's gone, so you guys need to be smarter because we don't have any more talented basketball players.