"Get in the gym" - Napheesa Collier's $355,000 teammate calls out DPOY's critics after dominant Unrivaled 1-on-1 tournament win

Napheesa Collier has faced her share of critics throughout her career, even as she has helped launch the new league Unrivaled. After winning the league’s 1-on-1 tournament on Friday, her Minnesota Lynx teammate decided to speak up on her behalf.

Courtney Williams, who played her first full season with Collier last year after joining Minnesota, took to X (formerly Twitter) to preempt any criticism of the reigning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year:

"And to everybody that’s about to cry and say she rigged it….. GET IN THE GYM AND GET YA MONEY UPPP #HOOTIEHOOOOO" tweeted Williams.

Williams, who is on a two-year, $355,000 contract with the Lynx, shared her support as Collier dominated in the final rounds of the Unrivaled 1-on-1 tournament.

In the semifinal round, the Lunar Owls forward faced Azura Stevens of Rose BC. Collier came out strong, jumping to an 8-0 lead in the race to 11 points. She quickly sealed the 11-2 victory to advance to the finals.

"Queen Phee" then found herself in a best-of-three showdown with Mist forward Aaliyah Edwards, who had defeated Vinyl guard Arike Ogunbowale in the other semifinal matchup. The first game in the best-of-three series was a thriller, with Edwards edging out Collier 9-6.

Collier responded in Game 2 with an 8-4 victory, forcing a decisive third game. She then shut out Edwards 8-0 in the winner-take-all matchup, securing the championship in dominant fashion.

Collier walked away with a $200,000 grand prize and a special crown marking her tournament supremacy.

Napheesa Collier on inaugural 1v1 tournament: "We're trying to further the culture"

After clinching the 1-on-1 crown, Napheesa Collier spoke with reporter Ros Gold-Onwude about what her finals win said about her game.

Rather than focusing on her own accomplishments, Collier emphasized the tournament’s bigger purpose:

"I really want to commend everyone who participated because we're putting our names on the line and we're having everyone watch us," said the league co-founder. "Of course, we want to win the prize money, but we're also trying to further the culture." [Timestamp - 1:32:47]

With the 1-on-1 tournament now in the history books, Collier will shift her focus back to leading the Lunar Owls in their quest for the first-ever Unrivaled championship.