Image Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

“It depends..” – Napheesa Collier weighs in on whether men’s basketball should have 1v1 tournament

Napheesa Collier shares her views on whether the NBA should implement a 1 on 1 contest in their All-Star weekend.

Image Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Lynx forward, Napheesa Collier who is also a founding member of the Unrivaled League. emerged victorious in a 1 on 1 tournament. She defeated Aliyah Edwards in the finals in a best of three matchup after Aaliyah won the game one of the Finals.

Napheesa Collier was one of the favorites for the tournament and defeated Katie Lou Samuelson, Rickea Jackson, Courtney Williams, Azura Stevens and Aaliyah Edwards to win the inaugural Unrivaled 1 on 1 tournament. She also wins the $200,000 prize money for winning the tournament which is 93.33% of her 2025 WNBA salary ($214,284).

During the press conference following their tournament victory, a reporter asked if the team believed they had set an example that the NBA could potentially draw from to make their All-Star game more entertaining.

Collier responded by saying that she believed a 1v1 tournament would definitely be entertaining, but emphasized that it ultimately depends on the players’ willingness to participate.

“I think it would definitely be entertaining and it’s up to the players that you want to do it. It just depends if the guys are willing to put their name on the line, putting your reputation like that or not. It’s a vulnerable situation.”

"It just depends if the guys are willing to put their name on the line like that or not."

Should men's basketball have a 1v1 tournament? Napheesa Collier gives her take after winning the first Unrivaled 1v1 event 🙌 pic.twitter.com/7AMVi1KL9t
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 15, 2025

The 1 on 1 champion also praised her fellow competitors and said, “I really commend everyone who competed in this because it’s like a scary situation. You don’t know how it’s going to be, because there is no shame in losing to anyone here, everyone is so good but of course you don’t want to lose.”

NBA All-Star 2025: The biggest names on the court

Some of the biggest names in the game are going to be taking part in the NBA All-Star 2025 alongside rising stars. Other than the All-Star game, players will compete in the Kia Skills Challenge, Starry three-point contest and the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest.

In the Kia Skills Challenge, four teams of two players will compete, from team Cavs will be Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, from Team Rocks will be Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr, from team Spurs will be Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama and team Warriors will be Draymond Green and Moses Moody.

In the three-point contest, Damian Lillard, Tyler Herro, Jalen Brunson, Cade Cunningham, Darius Garland, Buddy Hield, Cam Johnson and Norman Powell will compete for the title.

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For the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest, Mac McClung, Matas Buzelis, Stephon Castle and Andre Jackson Jr will compete for the title. Mac McClung will look to three-peat the NBA Slam Dunk contest and add to his previous two titles won in 2023 and 2024 All-Star games.

Napheesa Collier

NBA All-Star

NBA All-Star 2025

NBA All-Star Games 2025

Suryansh Kumar

NBA/WNBA Writer

nba

wnba

Hello, my name is Suryansh, and I write NBA/WNBA content for ThePlayoffs. I love sports, which is why I write and I love the NBA because of the stats. My aim is to find unique stats and perspectives to provide my readers with another angle on sports.