February 15, 2025
Unrivaled, Up Next: Napheesa Collier is queen of the court
Napheesa Collier wins $200,000 in Unrivaled 1-on-1 tournament
After a riveting week of 1-on-1 basketball, the Unrivaled Tournament came to an end Friday in Miami. Down to four players from the original 30, the final four went to battle Friday night, with both bragging rights and a ton of cash on the line.
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It was Vinyl BC’s Arike Ogunbowale versus Mist BC’s Aaliyah Edwards in the first semi final, followed by Lunar Owls BC’s Napheesa Collier versus Rose BC’s Azura Stevens. Edwards won the first game in an 11-2 blitz, and Collier was able to win the second game with same score of 11-2.
The finals was then played in a best of three games format, where the winning score was eight. Collier won two games to Edwards’s one, winning the tournament. In the end, Collier took home $200,000, Edwards took $50,000, Stevens and Ogunbowale each took $25,000, and the other members of the Lunar Owls team each got $10,000.
Big girls run the court
By the time there were only four players left standing, three were forwards and one was a guard. The entire week, the guards who competed in the league expressed exhaustion at trying to keep up with the big girls. Ogunbowale became the last guard standing, but even she could not keep up with Edwards in the end. She took to X after her defeat to let fans know she was perfectly fine with the $25,000 she had managed to win.
25k ain’t bad thoughCourtney Williams, who lost to Collier in the quarter-final round, also had thoughts on playing against the big girls, especially since rebounds counted in games as well.
@CourtMWilliams
A big girl — Collier — did end up winning. When asked if she supports changing the format of the tournament next year to give the guards and the forwards each their own bracket, she said “I think it’s a good idea. There’s advantages and disadvantages for both. The guards are quicker, but the posts can be more physical, especially the way that the rest were calling it in the early rounds.” Collier continued that it wasn’t solely her decision, saying “we’re all owners in this league, so I think that’s something we’ll definitely talk about at the end of the season, and player input is so important.”
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While the final battle did come down to two forwards, Collier’s experience seemed to be the deciding factor. She was able to dig deep despite being absolutely exhausted to win those final two games, while it seemed to be that same exhaustion that got Edwards in the end. Napheesa’s mid-range jumper is also absolutely lethal, so that helped. Collier just played a five game WNBA Finals series in the fall, so she knows what it is like to play the same opponent again and again.
Collier said after her trophy ceremony Friday night that she was “gassed,” but it was worth it for the money.
The dark horse rises: Meet Aaliyah Edwards
While some people (like this writer) have been following Aaliyah Edwards’ trajectory for years, this week was an introduction to the young Canadian for many. Despite losing in the end to Collier, Edwards showed impressive skill in the 1-on-1 tournament — especially seeing as she just finished her rookie season.
Before Collier left her postgame conference, the last question asked, by Edwards herself, was: “How tough was the match up with Aaliyah Edwards?”
Collier was the first to give praise to her young competitor, even before she entered the room, calling her “so tough.” She continued, “your strength was so hard to play against, that crossover is so dirty, it’s so quick. I can try to body you in the post, but you’ll do the fakes and the up-and-unders and the spins. It’s really hard to guard, so I definitely commend you. You’re a really tough defender.”
The two share a ton of similarities as well — both UConn Huskies, and both were drafted No. 6 overall in their respective drafts. Both wear the number 24 in the WNBA, and both have represented their country as Olympians.
Collier is now regarded as one of the best players in women’s basketball, and Edwards has the skills to accomplish a lot as well. Especially after everything she learned from a week of going 1-on-1 against the world’s best players.
“I’m proud of myself. No one can take that away all the work that I’ve put in, I was able to showcase that and kind of let everyone know that I’m not one to play with,” Edwards said after the tournament. “People are noticing how much my work is paying off, and I think that’s the the biggest reward.”
The skills Edwards was able to show off will definitely help as Unrivaled continues next week, but also into her second WNBA season with the Washington Mystics.
Now that the 1-on-1 tournament has ended, regular games will start again on Tuesday, and next Friday the schedule will return to normal as the season continues.
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