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Napheesa Collier Addresses Players’ Leverage, Potential WNBA Lockout on 'First Take'

Stephen Douglas

Napheesa Collier talked about a potential WNBA lockout on First Take.
Napheesa Collier talked about a potential WNBA lockout on First Take. / ESPN / YouTub
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Napheesa Collier appeared on First Take on Tuesday morning using an internet connection that was a delightful throwback to the start of the pandemic when everyone was still getting used to Zoom calls. After a delay introduction from co-hosts Molly Qerim, Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe, Collier answered questions about JuJu Watkins, March Madness and most importantly, the possibility of a WNBA lockout.

Echoing what Angel Reese had previously said about the possibility, Collier, a perennial MVP candidate who just took the Minnesota Lynx to the WNBA Finals, sounded confident in the players' position and made it sound like the players were prepared for a lockout.

"No one wants a lockout, but I think we have to stand firm in what we think we deserve in this new CBA," said Collier. "The atmosphere of women's sports is changing and you know we think we need to get paid accordingly. And so we're definitely going in with that mindset where we don't want that to happen, but we are willing to do what it takes to get what we deserve."

"I think we're in a great position," Collier continued. "I mean, as you guys have seen, the sport is just exploding. You saw it with the viewership with the WNBA last year. With Unrivaled this year. People are tuning in. And so I think we're in a really great position where we have all the leverage as players right now. We have the most leverage we've ever had as WNBA players and we have to use it to our advantage. The time for change is right now so we have to take advantage of it."

Collier mentioned Unrivaled, the three-on-three league that she founded with Breanna Stewart. The league just wrapped up its inaugural season and was created because of the low pay for WNBA players.

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Stephen Douglas
STEPHEN DOUGLAS

Stephen Douglas is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in media since 2008 and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Douglas spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and previously wrote for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.

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