"Gone but never forgotten": Napheesa Collier reacts to $355,000 teammate retiring iconic look

WNBA player Courtney Williams announced on Instagram on Tuesday that she will be parting from her signature look in a declaration that shocked friends and fans alike.

The nine-year pro, who is on a two-year, $355,000 contract with the Minnesota Lynx, had decided the time had come before uploading a touching tribute.

The post garnered reactions from a wide range of people like the reigning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and her Lynx teammate, Napheesa Collier, as well as players in the new Unrivaled three-on-three league, which Williams is a part of playing for the Lunar Owls.

"My beloved friend @t5poon told me I needed to make an announcement, so here I am. I’ve decided to officially retire the blonde hair 😭 It was a great run, and I’m well aware that makes me a strong 8.5-9 now lol I’m okay with that... End of an Era man," she wrote in a sarcastically emotional post.

Many understood the assignment and matched Williams' hyperbolic energy with humorous replies.

Napheesa Collier's Instagram comment - Source: @courtneywilliams10

Williams' WNBA and Unrivaled teammate Napheesa Collier led the pack with comments of support. "Gone but not forgotten," she wrote, memorializing Williams' blonde-haired look.

Sports reporter Aliyah Funschelle's Instagram comment - Source: @courtneywilliams10

Internet personality Britt Waters' Instagram comment - Source: @courtneywilliams10

While many joined in on the fun and came up with humorous and sarcastic replies, others simply gave words of support.

Connecticut Sun guard Marina Mabrey's Instagram comment - Source: @courtneywilliams10

Courtney Williams' Instagram comments - Source: @courtneywilliams10

Courtney Williams' Instagram comments - Source: @courtneywilliams10

Williams will be going forward with a more natural look. Despite no longer having the blonde hair, her sense of fashion and style is bound to have her putting together some iconic looks.

Napheesa Collier's Unrivaled league facing delays amid surging popularity

Unrivaled, co-founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, consists of six teams and 36 players and tipped off its inaugural season on Jan. 17. The league found immediate popularity thanks to fans being able to watch the games live on TNT as well as through auxillary social media content.

The season is well underway with each team having played six games and Collier's Lunar Owls leading with a 6-0 record.

While the league has gotten off to a rousing success by many metrics, there is one area where Unrivaled is underdelivering.

One of the primary ways in which Unrivaled was separating itself as a sports league was with its promised revenue sharing.

This was a monumental announcement, and one of the main ways this was to happen was through merchandise sales such as jerseys. Unrivaled's president, Alex Bazzell, doubled down on this saying in a podcast appearance, "before selling an Angel Reese jersey, she should 100% see the benefits of that”.

However, for fans and players, the jerseys are not yet available for sale.

When asked about the delay of merchandise, co-founder Napheesa Collier said, "I don’t know; I need to ask him (Bazzell) because I’m wondering the same thing. People are asking me about jerseys. I think this happened so fast. Our deal with Under Armour and them getting our jerseys was such a quick turnaround."

Collier told ESPN host Sarah Spain on her podcast that the speed at which everything has taken off has made it difficult to stay on top of all aspects of production. Napheesa Collier reassured Spain, as well as fans, that the league is still committed to its promise and is working hard to make it happen despite the delays.

The delays are especially damaging considering the growth in popularity of women's sports over the past few years as merchandise has been essential to that growth.

Unrivaled only finalized a deal with Under Armour in December, which left a short turnaround before the start of their season. The hope is that as the Unrivaled's playoffs approach in March, the league will be able to make good on its promise.