Aaliyah Edwards makes her feelings clear about Napheesa Collier after losing out on $200,000: "Will be seeing her throughout the year"

The Unrivaled 1-on-1 tournament concluded on Friday, with Napheesa Collier emerging as the champion after defeating Aaliyah Edwards. The Minnesota Lynx star secured a 2-1 victory in the best-of-three series, earning a $200,000 prize.

Despite narrowly missing out on the hefty paycheck, Edwards had high praise for Collier. She expressed appreciation for the opportunity to compete against one of the best players in the world, relishing the challenge of going head-to-head with the WNBA superstar.

"I believe it was two years ago and Phee came to practice (UConn), and I was guarding her," Edwards said. We were going up and down. To be battling with her 1on1 in this tournament, definitely a full circle moment...all respect to her and her game...I definitely will be seeing her throughout the year."

Edwards pushed the reigning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year to the limit, securing a 9-6 victory in the first game. However, she ultimately fell short, dropping the next two games 9-4 and 8-0. She won a cheque of $50,000 for making it to the finals.

Throughout the tournament, the Washington Mystics star delivered an outstanding performance. She made a resounding statement in her opening game by dominating WNBA superstar Breanna Stewart with a commanding 12-0 victory.

Aaliyah Edwards' confidence shines through

Following an impressive run in the 1-on-1 tournament, Aaliyah Edwards showcased her confidence, emphasizing that she never backs down from a challenge, regardless of the opponent. Throughout the competition, she proved her mettle by defeating three seasoned WNBA stars - Breanna Stewart, Allisha Gray, Arike Ogunbowale and Napheesa Collier.

"Just to confident and belief in yourself, no matter years of experience, no matter how old you are, a baller is a baller...there's a lot of dominant players here in the states but to say I'm an international player and doing this in the states, shows that we're up and coming," Edwards said.

Edwards is currently representing Mist Basketball Club in Unrivaled. The rising star will return to action on Friday when Mist BC squares off against Vinyl BC.