Unrivaled? Or rivaled? Things are about to get a little tense in the office for Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. Business partners for the Unrivaled League, the two W players are fresh off a nerve-wracking battle for the WNBA championship. Where Stewart’s Liberty won the original franchise’s first trophy, the Lynx just missed out on making history of their own by becoming the first W team to win 5 titles. As January now comes closer, questions about their joint partnership are bound to arise.

A reporter asked Collier in her exit interview about the Final 4 Unrivaled players being revealed to the public. “‘I actually have no idea,’ she said, noting she’s not involved in the everyday media work,” per reporter Noa Dalzell. The new league is set to make its debut in January 2025, with names like Courtney Williams, Brittney Griner, Jewel Lloyd, Satou Sabally, as well as rookies Angel Reese and Rickea Jackson set to appear in the 3×3 format.

But it might be tough given how the season has ended. Collier posted on Instagram about the ‘gut-wrenching’ end 2024 has brought, with the victory being snatched from the Lynx by a ref call. Of her team, she said, per Mitchell Hansen, “It’s easy to be appreciative of this team and how special the season was. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get over that loss. … I am so proud of what we did this year. We were so close to our goal.”

Indeed they almost touched the top but had to come crashing back down. As Cheryl Reeve also said, the trophy was ‘stolen’ from them, if not for that Alanna Smith foul against Stewart. The Minnesota coach challenged that call but it proved unsuccessful, turning the tide in New York’s favor at a key point in time. Stewie tied the score, sending the game into overtime and firing up the Liberty to win.

Had the ref accepted the challenge, as many around the league asserted that it was not a foul from Smith, the Lynx could have very likely won another championship. But it’s time for celebration for the Liberty, who lost the last Finals in a close encounter. Like Kanye West said, the Liberty will never know what they would have done had they lost.

But for former UConn teammates Collier and Stewart, there is another person seeming driving a wedge between them!

Geno Auriemma picks Stewie over Napheesa Collier…and she’s not happy

After Game 4 of the Finals, when there was still some hope for a win, Napheesa Collier, Cheryl Reeve, and Kayla McBride sat down for a post-game conference. There, a reporter brought up UConn’s Geno Auriemma’s comments before the game, where he had said, “I would like to meet the person that didn’t vote Stewie as one of the top five players in the WNBA. I would love to know who that person is… There are people that stupid who are actually covering our game. I hope she gets 50 tonight.”

Answering the reporter about the 50 comments and who Auriemma was rooting for, Collier said, “Well it sounds like he’s rooting for them. He didn’t text that to me.” Reeve laughed beside her, while McBride was unconcerned and evoked the Fighting Irish from her alma mater, Notre Dame, “Some Husky drama. Go Irish.”

The Lynx had just tied the Finals 2-2 and were clearly in a happy mood, looking forward to Game 5. Then Sunday night changed everything. Now, the two former UConn teammates will need to get past the awkwardness and drama as January gets closer and leave for Miami in better spirits.