WNBA star Napheesa Collier discusses upcoming Canada game, possible expansion

For the first time in the WNBA’s 26-year-history the league will be playing a game in the Great White North. On May 13, the Chicago Sky will take on the Minnesota Lynx at the Scotiabank Arena.

Chatham, Ont.’s Bridget Carleton will be lacing up for the Minnesota Lynx alongside her teammates including 2019 Rookie of the Year Napheesa Collier, who was a bridesmaid at Carleton’s wedding in the fall.

Collier made WNBA history of her own last season when the new mother returned to the basketball court just 10 weeks after giving birth.

She is in Toronto to promote the upcoming WNBA game in Canada. Lindsay Dunn spoke with Collier about the upcoming season and motherhood:

CityNews: When the ball goes up on May 13, it will be a historic moment with your team the Minnesota Lynx taking on the Chicago Sky for the first WNBA game ever held in Canada. What was your reaction when you heard you would be playing a game in Canada?

Napheesa Collier: I’m really excited! You can hear the buzz around it, it’s so, so big. And I think it’s going to be such a fun game and you know there is talk about expansion and there is just a lot of buzz around this.

You said expansion, I have to ask. You have a number of colleagues and friends who are from Canada, including Bridget Carleton who plays on the Lynx with you, have you guys, even just for fun, talked about a team coming to Canada?

Toronto has been a city that for a while that’s been in talks. Of course, we talk to our Canadian players about what they want that and they’re so excited that it’s a possibility. And I think everyone’s excited. We want expansion so badly and this would be a great market for it. So we’re really excited to be here and to kind of get a taste of what it might be like with this game.

Tickets for the 1st @WNBA game to be held in Canada will go on sale to the general public on Wed. @PHEEsespieces of the @minnesotalynx will be a part of the historic game. Spoke to her about the May 13th game and her thoughts on a Canadian expansion team. #WNBA @NBACanada pic.twitter.com/VNGKV7FHU2

— Lindsay Dunn (@LindsayDunnTV) March 7, 2023

With the game on the 13th, I know a lot of fans are excited to see what could be their first basketball game in person. What are you most looking forward to about that experience and potentially bringing in an entire new fanbase to the sport?

I think just seeing all the excitement that we’re talking about in person.  It’s going to be so cool to see everyone in the stands and to see  how supportive and excited they are to watch us play.

Because, you know, that’s what we want is for people to enjoy, to watch us. We enjoy playing so much. So to see that in action and to hopefully have a sold out crowd would just be so fun.

When it comes to your own personal game you have been making headlines since your college years for your moves on the court. We have to talk about the number 74 though. It was just 74 days after you gave birth to your daughter that you were back on the basketball court playing with the Lynx.  I know a big part of that was that you wanted to play another game with your teammate Sylvia Fowles who was retiring at the end of the year, but can you talk about the emotions of that moment?

Definitely a little bit of nervousness just because there’s  a lot of rust, I hadn’t played for a long time, but mostly excitement. And, you know, I had reached my goal of being able to play with my favorite teammate, Sylvia, which is the whole reason I came back. So I was just so excited to actually be out there with her. It was her last season and you know, it was a lot of hard work that went into it for me. Definitely a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. So I was just ready to get out there and play.

When it comes to Silvia, this upcoming WNBA season is going to look different for a lot of reasons. Not only your team with Sylvia retiring, but, you know, Sue Bird of the Storm retired, you saw Breanna Stewart then leave the Storm and join New York, Candace Parker left Chicago and joined Las Vegas and so on and so on. What was it like following all the WNBA moves this off-season as a player in the league?

It was like watching a reality show! (laughs) It’s like, where is someone going today? It’s drama every day, but it’s so fun to see. And we need that, we need people talking about our league. We need  all this excitement around it. So it was really cool. Like, I was scared every day to check my phone to see what had happened when I was sleeping. But it’s really exciting. I can’t wait for us to play again. We have super teams now, they call them that and it’s just like a lot of buzz. So it’s cool.

What are your thoughts on “super teams” and if you did in fact the moves this summer made some super teams in the league?

Well, I mean, they have a lot of great players! But, you know, super teams don’t always work. So we’re still in the running. Everyone’s still in the running. I think it will be an exciting season.

A special moment is coming up for your family in a few months when your daughter Mila turns 1. When you found out you were pregnant with her you said how you reached out to fellow WNBA players such as Candace Parker who have had children during their career. Your Minnesota teammate and Canadian Natalie Achonwa is expecting her first child as is fellow UCONN alumni and LA Sparks’ Katie Lou Samuelson. Did they reach out to you at all about your experience?

Yes, I spoke to them both a lot. And it’s so fun. I mean, I love talking about it and I love that I can give them what I experienced and what I went through, what they can expect with different things, things that I had no idea that you go through during pregnancy and birth.

So it’s been really cool to share that with them.

And at the same time, I would never want anyone to compare themselves to my motherhood journey or coming back, because I realized that it was really soon and it’s such an individual and personal journey that I want them to take it on their own time. And I honestly wouldn’t do it again (laughs) it was really hard. Each journey is their own and to just love every second of it.

Tickets for May 13 WNBA game in Toronto are now on sale for the general public as of 10 a.m. ET Wednesday.