Napheesa Collier is a perennial WNBA MVP candidate, the co-founder of a professional sports league -- and, an advocate for women's reproductive health and birth control access.
Collier, the cornerstone of the Minnesota Lynx franchise, is partnering with Opill, a nonprescription birth control pill that helps prevent pregnancy. Reproductive health -- and access to birth control -- is a cause that has long been near and dear to Collier's heart; now, she's chosen to leverage her platform as a WNBA superstar to advocate for it.
"I've always been really passionate about reproductive health and women's options when it comes to that," Collier told SB Nation. "This is just a perfect partnership for that. It's really important to inform people about their reproductive health and their contraceptive options."
For most Americans, health insurance greatly eliminates financial barriers to contraceptive access, but more than 19 million women in the U.S. live in "contraceptive desserts" where they might not have access to a health center offering birth control. Private health insurance companies are not currently required to cover over-the-counter products, so plans typically don't.
The 2024 Defensive Player of the Year will begin a multi-year partnership with Opill in order to ensure that young women across the country know the birth control options that are available to them, regardless of where they live. Opill is the first FDA-approved, prescription-free daily birth control pill in the U.S. intended to ensure that the many individuals who don't have regular access to birth control are able to change that.
Collier said she recognizes that conversations about birth control and reproductive healthcare can sometimes be stigmatized, but that it's something she wants to change.
"My mom was a nurse, and I grew up in a household where we had open conversations about our body, and I wasn't afraid to ask her anything. And I feel like that's not exactly how everybody feels today," Collier said.
Collier will spend time traveling and visiting different universities to talk with students about birth control access and available options. The full list of schools that the 4x All-Star will be speaking with is not yet public, but she said looks forward to the opportunity to chat with students about Opill, and its accessibility. The daily oral contraceptive can be purchased online and at most major retailers for $19.99 a month, and $89.99 for 6 months.
"I want people to know what is available to them -- and Opill is such a great option for that. It's so accessible, it's so affordable, and it's really effective," Collier said. "So, I'm really excited to partner with someone like them that hits all those areas, and to just talk a little bit about the stigma when it comes to these topics."
Collier, who is 28 years old, graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2019. She has a 2-year-old daughter, Mila, and is now married to basketball skills coach Alex Bazzell. She's also the co-founder of Unrivaled, a new professional 3-on-3 women's basketball league that is launching in January.
"I feel like I am still college-aged, so it is weird," Collier said of being in the position to impact college students.
She looks forward to the opportunity to do so.
"It's just going to be a really open dialogue," Collier said. "First of all, informing them about Opill and how it differs from other birth controls, how accessible it is. You can get it at your local drug stores. You don't need a prescription for it. And then, answering any questions and trying to break down the stigma if this is an embarrassing topic, because I don't think it should be. I think it should be an open conversation."
Collier's decision to get intimately involved with the issue of birth control access falls in line with the WNBA's long history of advocacy. Throughout the league's 27-year history, players have consistently banded together to address a slew of topics, including racism, police brutality, gender equality, and more.
The Atlanta Dream endorsed Reverend Raphael Warnock in the Georgia Senate election in 2020, and were credited with being a big part of his victory. That election stood out in particular given the fact that Warnock's Republican opponent, Kelly Loeffler, was a co-owner of the Dream at the time -- and an outspoken critic of players' decision to advancing the Black Lives Matter movement.
Since Collier was drafted by the Minnesota Lynx as the No. 6 pick in the 2019 draft, she's been a part of a league largely characterized by its advocacy efforts. WNBA players dedicated the 2020 season to Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman who was killed by police in her home. Players have also routinely spoken out on issues related to LGBTQ+ rights and voting access throughout the years.
"I think we're just a group -- which I'm so thankful to be part of -- of really strong women who believe in something," Collier said. "We're gonna do what we can to create a change, to create awareness."
The league formed a Social Justice Council in 2020, and in 2021, the WNBA players' union publicly declared their opposition to Texas 6-week abortion ban in a full-page ad in the New York Times. There have been countless examples throughout the years of players taking a stand on controversial topics.
"Abortion, birth control, and fertility care are vital -- not just for athletes who can get pregnant, but for all families and gender identities," the WNPBA's ad read.
That's just how the WNBA has always been.
"We're just really vocal about the things that we passionate about," Collier said. "I'm really grateful to be a part of such a collective like that. That is kind of just part of the DNA of the W. People associate with us social issues, and speaking out or up for things that we feel strongly about. It's a really empowering thing to be a part of."
For Collier, right now birth control access is one of those issues -- and as she gears up to visit schools to talk with students about Opill and what their choices are, she's thankful to be in a position of influence, and to chance the chance to compete among peers who have already laid the foundation for taking action.
"I'm grateful that I do have a platform where I'm able to to talk about things that are important to me, to talk about those stigma, to inform people about their reproductive health," Collier said. "More than anything, I'm just grateful that I have a platform where I'm able to do that."