<p id=”par-1_38″>Those who watched the 2024 <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/sports/”>WNBA Finals</a> got to witness a thrilling Game 1 between the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty as the contest went to overtime with an exciting finish at the Barclays Center. </p>
<p id=”par-2_59″>In the final seconds of regulation, New York’s Breanna Stewart missed a free throw which sent the game into overtime and that’s when Napheesa Collier really dominated and eventually scored the game-winning shot. When she did, her husband, Alex Bazzell took to <a href=”https://x.com/alexbazzell/status/1844577898893561877″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>X (formerly Twitter)</a> with a four-word reaction that has since gone viral posting: “My wife is HER!!”</p>
<p id=”par-3_28″>Now, fans want to know all about Collier’s hubby. Here’s more on Bazzell and what he said about working with the late Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gigi.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-how-long-bazzell-and-collier-have-been-together-and-when-they-got-engaged”>How long Bazzell and Collier have been together and when they got engaged</h2>
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<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-width=”550″ data-dnt=”true”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Forever with my best friend! <img src=”https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72×72/1f49e.png” alt=”💞” class=”wp-smiley” style=”height: 1em; max-height: 1em;” /> <a href=”https://t.co/ama5ZibUvk”>https://t.co/ama5ZibUvk</a></p>— napheesa collier (@PHEEsespieces) <a href=”https://twitter.com/PHEEsespieces/status/1187522948581744641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>October 25, 2019</a></blockquote><script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
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<p id=”par-4_17″>Bazzell was born on April 20th, 1990, in St. Charles, Missouri to parents Rob and Diane. </p>
<p id=”par-5_54″>He and Collier first crossed paths when she played basketball for her high school team. They met again when she was a freshman at the University of Connecticut as Bazzell, who is six years her senior, became her full-time trainer and skills coach. The two started dating during Collier’s junior year in college. </p>
<p id=”par-6_17″>In 2019, they got engaged and tied the knot on Oct. 7, 2022, in St. Louis. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-bazzell-trains-several-nba-stars-and-worked-with-kobe-bryant-s-late-daughter-gigi”>Bazzell trains several NBA stars and worked with Kobe Bryant’s late daughter Gigi</h2>
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<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-width=”550″ data-dnt=”true”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>My letter to <a href=”https://twitter.com/kobebryant?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@kobebryant</a> can be found here <a href=”https://t.co/bLsb1vwGA4″>https://t.co/bLsb1vwGA4</a> It was therapeutic for me to sit, write, reflect, and cry. Hope you all take the time to read it. He meant a lot to me and was a remarkable man. Much love <img src=”https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72×72/2764.png” alt=”❤” class=”wp-smiley” style=”height: 1em; max-height: 1em;” /> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mamba?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Mamba</a> forever <a href=”https://t.co/7AjwshnyrV”>pic.twitter.com/7AjwshnyrV</a></p>— Alex Bazzell (@alexbazzell) <a href=”https://twitter.com/alexbazzell/status/1222658668908298240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>January 29, 2020</a></blockquote><script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
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<p id=”par-7_39″>Collier isn’t the only basketball player Bazzell has trained. He also worked with several NBA <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/celebrity-athletes/”>superstars</a> including <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/kyrie-irvings-partner-marlene-golden-wilkerson.html/”>Kyrie Irving</a> and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/hawks-star-trae-young-girlfriend-shelby-miller.html/”>Trae Young</a>. In addition, Bazzell worked with the Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gigi. </p>
<p id=”par-8_50″>“Kobe Bryant was the biggest mentor I’ve had, and how he raised his daughters. He didn’t want to put added pressure on them, and he let them be kids. He wasn’t trying to overstep and force what he was wanting to have happened with his children,” Bazzell said via <a href=”https://people.com/parents/wnba-star-napheesa-collier-alex-bazzell-expecting-first-baby/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>People</a>.</p>
<p id=”par-9_45″>Collier’s husband co-founded and launched the tech sports company Through The Lens, a subscription-based video platform featuring NBA and WNBA talent, with basketball great Carmelo Anthony. He also serves as the president of Unrivaled Basketball, a league he created with his wife and Breanna Stewart.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-how-many-children-collier-and-bazzell-have”>How many children Collier and Bazzell have </h2>
<p id=”par-10_19″>Today, Collier and Bazzell have one child together. They welcomed a daughter, Mila Sarah, Bazzell, in May 2022. </p>
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<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-width=”550″ data-dnt=”true”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Napheesa & I are ecstatic to welcome our baby girl to the world. Mila Sarah Bazzell arrived safely at 3:38pm CST on 5/25/22, weighing in at 8lbs 14 ounces & 20.5 inches long! Her & momma are both doing great & we’re excited to start this next phase of our lives together. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/GirlDad?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#GirlDad</a> <a href=”https://t.co/6HGGUnfcoe”>pic.twitter.com/6HGGUnfcoe</a></p>— Alex Bazzell (@alexbazzell) <a href=”https://twitter.com/alexbazzell/status/1529964733645873152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>May 26, 2022</a></blockquote><script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
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<p id=”par-11_20″>The first-time dad talked about how the environment of his job helped prepare him to become a father. </p>
<p id=”par-12_72″>Bazzell remembered the phone call he had with Collier when she told him she was pregnant sharing: “I was shocked. But I think we’re both ready … We had this vision of building a family. We just didn’t know when that would take place or where that would take place … But it’s like anything else, the sports environment prepares us for something like that. We’re adding one member to our team.”</p>
<p id=”par-13_50″>Collier added that she’s looking forward to “the athletes that Alex trains, to have the kid be around them, to have them be around my teammates and have 11 other aunts. I’m really excited to see them around that environment, bring them into the world that we already live in.”</p>