WNBA star Napheesa Collier has become a mother! The Olympian welcomed her first child with her partner Alex Bazzell, an NBA and WNBA skills coach, on May 25th. The couple shared a joint Instagram post to reveal their little one’s first pictures and name.
It’s a girl! The couple had previously shared they were expecting a daughter when they announced their pregnancy in November of last year. Napheesa and Alex named their daughter Mila Sarah Bazzell. Mila is a Slavic name that means “People’s Favor,” while Sarah is a Hebrew name meaning “Princess.” The couple wrote on Instagram, “Mila Sarah Bazzell made her way into the world 5•25•22 we are so in love.”
On Alex’s Twitter account, the new dad shared more details about his first child. He wrote that Mila arrived “safely” at 3:38 PM on May 25th. She weighed 8 lbs, 14 ounces, and measured 20.5 inches long at birth. “Her & momma are both doing great & we’re excited to start this next phase of our lives together.”
The Minnesota Lynx Forward, who revealed when announcing her pregnancy that she had “always wanted to be a mom,” met her partner Alex when she was a senior in high school. The following year as a freshman athlete at the University of Connecticut, Alex became her full-time trainer. During her junior year, the couple began dating. Alex asked Napheesa to marry him in October of 2019, popping the question in New York City’s Central Park. At the time, Napheesa wrote on Instagram, “Forever with my best friend.”
Congratulations to Napheesa and Alex on the arrival of their baby girl! We wish them all the best as they embark on their new journey as parents to baby Mila.
Kate Fann (she/her) is the BabyNames.com celebrity blogger, as well as an established content writer, aspiring author, and social media expert. She has been featured in online publications such as Bolde, ManoByte, Medium, The Social Observer, and more. Kate has ghostwritten numerous romance novels and is currently working on publishing her own works in the Young Adult genre.
Kate lives in East Tennessee with her husband Casey and her two sons, Quinn and Noah. When she's not writing or scrolling Instagram, Kate can be found tasting delicious wines, playing with make-up, baking yummy treats, or hiking the beautiful Smoky Mountains.
