WNBA Fans Support Napheesa Collier MVP Bid Amid ‘Proximity to Whiteness’ Slander From A’ja Wilson’s Friend

Napheesa Collier is the de facto leader up to this point of the season in MVP conversations, but A'ja Wilson's friend put a spanner in the works.

WNBA Fans Support Napheesa Collier MVP Bid Amid ‘Proximity to Whiteness’ Slander From A’ja Wilson’s Friend

Napheesa Collier (IG image)

The Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty are looking well and truly on course to a WNBA Finals rematch. These two finalists from 2024 are both on extended win streaks to start their seasons off. The Liberty handed the Connecticut Sun a whopping 100-52 defeat on Sunday. However, unlike the Minnesota Lynx, who are being carried by Napheesa Collier on both ends, the Liberty have a more even talent spread.

Napheesa Collier has undoubtedly had one of the hottest starts to a season in WNBA history. The 2024 WNBA DPOY is currently averaging 26.3 points, 8.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. The power forward has been dominating every opponent while also shooting 51.4% from the field and 45.3% on threes. Collier is also averaging a career high 92.5% from the line on a career high 6.7 attempts per game.

Based on the eye test, it is clear that Collier has upgraded her play to a notch above where it was. The Unrivaled cofounder had good reason to feel hard done by in the 2024 WNBA MVP voting. Many believed that her season was comparable to A’ja Wilson’s. However, A’ja Wilson ended up sealing a unanimous MVP season while leading the Las Vegas Aces to only a 4th place finish in the seedings. Collier’s Minnesota, meanwhile, finished the season as the second seed.

The Lynx look likely to match the Liberty step for step in this year’s top seed race. Much of that can be attributed to Collier’s two-way excellence. And this season, there is no narrative going for other competitors like 2024, when WNBA MVP voters felt obliged to vote for Wilson on account of her 2023 snub. This leaves Napheesa Collier as the top MVP candidate this year, considering their similar stats and the Lynx’s superior seeding.

However, a few WNBA fans have now started a very distasteful agenda that demeans the impact Collier is having. A now-deleted tweet by Wilson’s good friend Deloris was highlighted by Minnesota Lynx videographer Vanshay Murdock. It reads

This is absolutely no diss to Phee (Napheesa Collier), but her proximity to whiteness put her in the perfect position for them to use her as the next best case of who will challenge A’ja, without having to hear much of the race talk (too bad I see through it).

WNBA fans support Napheesa Collier in her MVP bid amid negativity

The advent of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese into the WNBA has invited a lot of unnecessary race talk. The WNBA fans on both sides of the fence have had a lot of regrettable moments. Even legends like A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart have needlessly been dragged into these conversations. This latest attack, by black WNBA fans on a black player, however, is below the belt even by those abysmal standards.

WNBA fans have all called out this characterization of Collier’s ascendance as a player.

Even though Deloris is a grown individual, fans would expect A’ja Wilson to speak to her friend, who uses his own proximity to her to often treat WNBA players with disrespect. Napheesa Collier is not the only one – Caitlin Clark also bore the brunt of this hate from Deloris during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. It is clear that this individual is one of those who hurt the perception of the league from the outside.

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