American professional basketball player Napheesa Collier and her husband, Alex Bazzell, are raising a daughter together. Everything happened so quickly for those who did not know their relationship earlier.
However, for Napheesa Collier and her partner Alex, the birth of their daughter meant the strengthening of their relationship that started way back when Collier was in college.
The happy couple shared the fantastic news in a joint Instagram post, with pictures of them and the newborn after they welcomed their daughter in May 2022. They had captioned, “Mila Sarah Bazzell made her way into the world 5*25*22; we are so in love.”
Though Napheesa has not won any WNBA title, she is considered one of the best contemporary power forwards in the league. She has led her team to the playoffs thrice in four seasons.
Before beginning her professional career, Collier was a student-athlete for the UConn Huskies. She was crucial in leading the Huskies to the 2016 NCAA championship victory.
Continuing her form, Napheesa has been performing well in the WNBA and has already garnered numerous accolades. The two-time WNBA All-Star is averaging over 20.0 ppg in the ongoing 2023 season, her all-time best in the league.
Napheesa Collier Husband: Alex Bazzell
Napheesa’s husband, Alex, was born to his parents, Rob and Diane Bazzell, on April 20, 1990, in Missouri, United States. He is the youngest child and has three older siblings: Ryan, Jamie, and Robbie.
Raised in St. Charles, Missouri, he attended St. Charles West High School, which the former NBA player Ryan Robertson attended before joining the Kansas Jayhawks.
While at school, the young Alex showed promise in basketball and played the game seriously.
Considered one of the best shooters in school, he led his team to four consecutive conference titles and was named All-Gateway Athletic Conference selection three times.
After graduating, he joined the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he played collegiate basketball alongside pursuing an undergraduate degree in business administration.
He shifted to Lindenwood University in Missouri to get closer to his home after a year.
Alex earned his bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication in 2013. Bazzell briefly played professional basketball in Germany after college but quit early.
However, he believes the game is always a part of his life, so he has worked actively as a basketball skills coach since 2009.
Besides, he is a CEO of a company named Through The Lens, which he co-founded in 2020.
Relationship With Napheesa, Marriage, And Mila’s Birth
Napheesa and Alex first met when she was a player for the UConn Huskies. Alex had already started training high-profile NBA/ WNBA players in 2014, but he often visited the University of Connecticut to help train the collegiate basketball athletes there.
Gradually, the trainer-athlete relationship developed into a romantic relationship. The two reportedly began dating during Collier’s junior year.
After graduating college in 2019, Napheesa got engaged to Alex in October. Napheesa had just been selected for the WNBA, so they took some time before getting married in 2022.
In the meantime, the couple announced that they were expecting a baby girl in November 2021. They welcomed their daughter, Mila Sarah Bazzell, on May 25, 2022.
The year of their daughter’s birth was so significant for them that she took a brief break from her professional life, and Napheesa is correct when she says it was worth it.
She appeared in only four WNBA matches and did not play in the preseason matches in 2022.
