Lynx star Napheesa gives birth to baby girl
Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier and her husband Alex Bazzell announced the arrival of a baby girl on Thursday.
Mila Sarah Bazzell was born eight pounds, 14 ounces on Wednesday. Both she and her mother are reportedly doing well.
Napheesa & I are ecstatic to welcome our baby girl to the world. Mila Sarah Bazzell arrived safely at 3:38pm CST on 5/25/22, weighing in at 8lbs 14 ounces & 20.5 inches long! Her & momma are both doing great & we’re excited to start this next phase of our lives together. #GirlDad pic.twitter.com/6HGGUnfcoe
— Alex Bazzell (@alexbazzell) May 26, 2022
Collier announced last November that she would miss the start of the 2022 season while waiting for her baby's arrival. Weeks before the birth, she signed a three-year contract extension to give her some long-term security in Minnesota.
In three seasons with the Lynx, the former sixth overall pick has earned two All-Star nods, a second-team All-Defense selection and the 2019 WNBA Rookie of the Year Award, emerging as a new star for a team about to lose future Hall of Famer Sylvia Fowles, who will retire after this season.
That imminent retirement is partially why Collier has said she intends to return this season, per The Star Tribune:
"I'm going to try everything that I can to come back and be able to play with Syl," she said. "I would love to, especially for her last year. And I miss playing. I want to get back on the court. So I'm trying to prepare my body, and I'm going to do everything afterwards to prepare my body to be able to do that."
Without Collier, the Lynx have opened their season with a record of 2-6.
