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Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier reacted to Clare Duwelius' ascension as executive vice president and general manager of Unrivaled with a two-word post on her Instagram Story. Her response came after an article by Winsidr's Mitchell Hansen was shared on the platform on Thursday.
"Yesss Clare! @clare.duwelius," Collier wrote.
The article detailed Duwelius' rise in the WNBA from a graduate assistant coach at Southwest Minnesota State University to basketball operations manager with the Lynx in 2014. Her good work with the franchise didn't go unnoticed, as she was promoted to assistant general manager in 2018 and its fourth GM in 2022.
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With the Lynx, she met Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier, which led to her latest role with Unrivaled. Her journey and experience will be a boost to the tournament as she will help shape its direction of basketball operations.
The Unrivaled tournament is set to begin on Jan. 17 as a 3-on-3 tournament of six teams with six players. Joining Duwelius are Micky Lawler as the league's commissioner, Alex Bazzell as president and Luke Cooper as president of basketball operations.
Unrivaled has secured investments from a notable group of individuals, including former NBA player Carmelo Anthony, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, tennis player Coco Gauff, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, actors Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis and basketball player JuJu Watkins.
Ally Financial has signed on as the league's official banking and founding partner. TNT Sports, VistaPrint and Samsung are among the league's other key partners, with TNT Sports acquiring exclusive media rights.
Napheesa Collier drops Caitlin Clark hint for Unrivaled
Napheesa Collier was asked during Unrivaled's media day about who the hardest player was to recruit for the tournament.
Although she didn't mention any names, her response hinted that it may have been Indiana Fever sensation Caitlin Clark.
"You're trying to get me in trouble..." Collier said on Thursday.
The effort to recruit Clark was aggressive as the league reportedly planned a "full-court press" to convince her to join, per sources. The offer included a $1 million deal, as well as equity in the league.
Clark would have been a game-changer for its TV ratings. However, she declined, taking a much-needed rest after her rookie season by playing her other favorite sport, golf.
