The WNBA’s CBA talks hit a roadblock once again, with the players’ union now even thinking about a strike in the coming days. While this could be the first step towards the lockdown, Breanna Stewart called on Adam Silver and Mark Tatum amid WNBA CBA negotiations. Napheesa Collier also showed her fierce side, criticizing the proposal.
While both players are aggressive in the CBA talks, they have received a special honor for their work related to women’s basketball, but outside the WNBA.
Breanna Stewart And Napheesa Collier Win Innovators Of The Year Award
Just as the players’ association decided to get ready for the strike, the news of special recognition for the founders of the Unrivaled League broke.
Sports Illustrated awarded the duo Innovators of the Year and shared the news on social media. The post reads, “Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier changed the landscape of women’s basketball by co-founding the player-owned league Unrivaled. Congrats to Stewart and Collier on being named Innovators of the Year.”
Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier changed the landscape of women's basketball by co-founding the player-owned league Unrivaled. Congrats to Stewart and Collier on being named Innovators of the Year 👏 pic.twitter.com/btBuqVjpcd
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 18, 2025
The first season of Unrivaled had a significant impact, with the league quickly expanding to two new franchises in the second season. The league also showed players that there was a viable alternative that could pay them in the United States rather than overseas, or even in the WNBA.
While the 29-year-old star was the first one to openly criticize he league and its leadership during the WNBA-WNBPA talks, Breanna Stewart also backed Napheesa Collier in her stand against Cathy Engelbert. The Missouri-born star even gave the league an earful, citing the league’s example.
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Napheesa Collier Presented Unrivaled As Example For League Leadership
During her speech at the exit interview, where Collier questioned the integrity of the league leadership, the Lynx forward openly spoke about her Unrivaled League and gave it as an example for the WNBA. She contrasted it with the actions of her husband, Alex Bazzell, who is the president of Unrivaled, a new women’s 3-on-3 basketball league that Collier co-founded.
The players talked on three major differences praising her husband because he “always takes the time to reach out to players when he sees an injury, whether it’s Unrivaled or even during the WNBA season”.
She even described this empathetic outreach as “the human element,” “basic integrity,” and “the bare minimum any leader should embody”. While she also criticized the communication gap from the league, she added that at Unrivaled, everyone is well-informed. No doubt the Unrivaled thrived in its second season only, and Collier received the special accolade as its co-founder.