Napheesa Collier talks about the officiating in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals with Paul George (Photo credits: IMAGN)

"The officiating was terrible": Napheesa Collier doubles down on Lynx's WNBA Finals 'robbery' claim

Modified Nov 05, 2024 00:38 GMT

Four-time WNBA All-Star Napheesa Collier joined nine-time NBA All-Star Paul George on Monday's episode of "Podcast P." She and George discussed the painful loss they suffered at the hands of the New York Liberty in the 2024 finals.

George and Collier's discussion centered on the officiating, specifically the foul calls that helped decide the game. George bluntly asked Collier if she thought the Minnesota Lynx were "robbed" of the championship.

Collier replied candidly to George's inquiry.

"For sure I thought the officiating was terrible," Collier said. "I think that's the consensus for everyone. It was really tough, it was a really hard game for us and it never comes down to one call. Now obviously in my opinion I thought that was really egregious, the travel before that, the foul call at the end. It didn't come down to that, it was bad the entire game."

Afterward, Collier said that as a team, they shouldn't have let it get to the point where the referees decide the game. She also gave props to the Liberty for winning the series.

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The "egregious" call that Napheesa Collier is referring to involved New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart.

With only six seconds left in Game 5, the Lynx were up by two. In an effort to keep their title hopes alive, the Liberty had possession and inbounded it to Stewart. She then tried to tie the game, but a foul was called on her shot attempt.

However, she appeared to have traveled before her shot attempt, which the officials had completely missed. Additionally, people have disagreed that she was fouled. The Lynx challenged the call. However, the challenge was unsuccessful, and Stewart was sent to the line.

She made both free throws to send the game to overtime. In the extra period, the Liberty outscored Collier and the Lynx 7-2 to win the championship.

Napheesa Collier and Paul George talk about 'Unrivaled'

While Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart were rivals in the WNBA Finals, they are partners elsewhere. Collier and Stewart co-founded a women's 3v3 league called "Unrivaled." The league is set to have its first season this January and will feature 36 WNBA players divided into six teams.

On "Podcast P," George asked Collier to share how she and Stewart came up with their league.

Collier responded by first talking about how several WNBA players have to go overseas after every season. She said that due to this schedule, players barely get rest and as a result, deal with injuries.

Additionally, Collier also explored the financial aspect. According to her, players make most of their money off the court through branding. However, when an individual is playing out of the country, they aren't able to capitalize on the branding.

To address these issues, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart came up with Unrivaled. Players who join the league not only get to remain in the United States, they also get paid. According to her, the league offers the highest average salary in women's sports. (59:26-1:00:35).

At the time of writing, 30 players have already been announced for Unrivaled, including Collier and Stewart.