Who is Alex Bazzell? Napheesa Collier’s husband helping build a women’s basketball league

Napheesa Collier is a star power forward for the Minnesota Lynx. Off the court, her husband, Alex Bazzell, helps shape her path in basketball and life. Together, they used their love and hard work to start something new for women’s basketball players.

First, they met when Napheesa was a high school senior and Alex was just beginning his training career. Years later, they turned their teamwork into a fresh league that gives players more time, money and hope. Keep reading to see when and where they met, how their family grew, and how they made this league happen.

Napheesa Collier and Alex Bazzell’s journey from training to love and family

In 2014, at Parkway North High School in St. Louis, Missouri, Napheesa Collier was a senior and Alex Bazzell first saw her play.

They stayed in touch after she graduated.In August 2015, at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut, Alex Bazzell became Napheesa’s trainer as she joined the Huskies basketball team.

The pair began dating in Napheesa’s junior year, 2017, at UConn. In October 2019, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Alex asked Napheesa to marry him.On May 25, 2022, in Minnesota, the couple welcomed their daughter, Mila Sarah Bazzell, into the world.

“Mila Sarah Bazzell made her way into the world 52522 we are so in love,” they shared on Instagram.Alex has trained top stars like Carmelo Anthony, Trae Young and Kyrie Irving. “We had this vision of building a family,” he said, recalling how the sports world prepared them for parenthood.

Napheesa Collier and Alex Bazzell launch unrivaled league to change women’s basketball

On July 6, 2023, in Miami, Florida, Napheesa Collier and fellow WNBA star Breanna Stewart launched Unrivaled, a pro three-on-three women’s basketball league.

Alex Bazzell took the role of league president.“The league would fill a gap in the calendar” for players in the WNBA off-season, Alex told CNBC Sport, calling it “extending the runway of professional basketball.” Unrivaled’s first games tipped off on January 17, 2025, in Medley, Florida, with six teams of top WNBA players.Also Read: Donald Trump Signs Executive Order To Bring Back Presidential Fitness Test In Schools After 13 YearsPlayers earn more than $220,000 on average, which is higher than any other women’s league, and each has a chance to own part of the league. “They’re making more here per game than any league in the world,” Alex said to The Associated Press.As president, Alex Bazzell uses lessons from training legends like Kobe Bryant to make Unrivaled a place where women athletes can grow, earn and lead for years to come.