Napheesa Collier recounts “welcome to college moment” with Breanna Stewart: “You literally just took it out of the air"

Napheesa Collier's connection to Breanna Stewart dates all the way back to their college days at the University of Connecticut. The two forwards featured in Geno Auriemma's Huskies side that won an NCAA championship in 2016 and have both carved out exemplary careers in the WNBA. The two All-Stars now share a close relationship.

In a recent video posted from the account of Unrivaled Basketball, Collier opened up on their time at Connecticut and the harsh welcome she received from her teammate:

"My welcome to college moment. We were playing pickup and I tried to shoot it and you literally just took it out of the air and were like 'F**k out of here.'"

Napheesa Collier was stunned and seems to remember the moment well. Breanna Stewart, however, downplayed the incident:

"Oh my gosh, I'm aggressive wow."

Collier and Stewart will team up once again in the first year of the 3-on-3 league Unrivaled that is set to begin in January.

Both Collier and Stewart have been instramental in setting up the highly anticipated women's league. Unrivaled will be a 3-on-3 competition and will take place over eight weeks. The tournament features 30 of the game's best players split into six teams.

The exciting new format will see a smaller court and shorter quarters, leading to a faster pace and more entertaining product on the court.

Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart were instrumental in guiding Team USA to a gold medal at the Olympics

USA women's national team forward Breanna Stewart points at the three point line during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games. Photo Credit: Imagn

It has been an exciting year for both Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. After a strong start to the 2024 WNBA season, the two forward were named to the USA women's national team for the Olympics.

Collier and Stewart were both key figures in coach Cheryl Reeve's roster at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Led by an exciting lineup that inculded A'ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Brittney Griner, Team USA earned a record eighth consecutive gold medal.

Collier featured in all six games, averaging 6.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Stewart was one of the standout players at the tournament, recording 16.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.