Napheesa Collier once revealed the unusual setting of her workouts with husband and coach Alex Bazzell

One of the reasons for Napheesa Collier's success in the WNBA is due to her husband Alex Bazzell. He has been very supportive of her career, while also serving as her trainer. Collier once shared details of their workouts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a written piece for The Players' Tribune back in 2020, Collier shared her experience preparing for the WNBA season in the middle of the pandemic. She considered herself lucky to have a partner, who is an established trainer for many players in men's and women's basketball.

"I wake up, get a little breakfast, and usually head to a nearby church with Alex to get a basketball workout in," Collier wrote. "Alex usually trains players here, so we have access to a church with a gym in it, and right now, we’re the only people that can go in there. We get a workout in, and then we’ll come home and do an at-home workout. I usually spend the rest of the day watching Netflix or reading, or something."

While it was unusual to work out in a gym inside church premises, it was not surprising at the time since it was the pandemic. There are certain guidelines people have to obey, so they have to work with whatever they have.

Napheesa Collier was preparing for her second season in the WNBA when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Collier was living with her then-boyfriend Alex Bazzell, who helped prepare for the bubble.

Bazzell has worked with many prominent people in the basketball world including Carmelo Anthony, Kyrie Irving, Trae Young, Candice Parker, and Sabrina Ionescu. He also had several workouts with Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi after his retirement until their untimely deaths in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020.

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Napheesa Collier excited for Unrivaled's inaugural season

Napheesa Collier excited for Unrivaled's inaugural season. (Photo: IMAGN)

Due to the increasing number of WNBA players signing with overseas teams during the offseason, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart co-founded Unrivaled in 2023. The 3-on-3 basketball league is set to give players the option to stay at home rather than go play abroad.

Unrivaled received a lot of investments and backing in just a year. They are set to start their first season on Jan. 17 in Miami, Florida. The games will be broadcast by TNT on their channel, as well as TruTV.

Speaking to Reader's Digest recently, Collier expressed her excitement with the league's inaugural season less than a month away.

"As an entrepreneur and athlete, I’m really excited for Unrivaled," Collier said. "It's been several years in the works, and I’m just really excited. I don’t think people really understand what it’s going to be. Everyone is very anxious and excited to see it, but they don’t really have half of it."

There are a total of 36 players on the Unrivaled roster, drafted on six teams. Collier will play for Lunar Owls BC under coach DJ Sackman. The league's president is Alex Bazzell.