Before Game 4 of the WNBA Finals against the New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx star forward Napheesa Collier spoke of another passion beyond the basketball court.

Collier is an outspoken advocate for reproductive rights. It carries a message of supporting women's right to choose and recently partnered with the country's first over-the-counter birth control pill.

It's not lost on her that the WNBA playoffs coincide with an unprecedented, long-overdue spotlight on women's sports, particularly in professional basketball but also on the political stage as the country decides whether to elect its first female president.

“I feel like women’s sports are a reflection of society,” Collier said in an exclusive pregame interview on Friday. “You see us growing, you see women becoming more powerful in society. … Women as a whole are currently on such a rise. It's really fun to be a part of it in a small way. Obviously this is a game, things are happening that are much bigger. But to still be a part of it is really exciting.”

Collier, 28, who balances her WNBA career with motherhood, explained why she has been so vocal about the issue of reproductive rights. “Because so many of our rights feel like they're being taken away, and they're at risk of that happening. So we need to be able to vote accordingly.”

KFF surveyed 678 female voters from September 12th to October 1st. The follow-up survey group was supplemented with 29 Black women to ensure an adequate sample size of this group. The poll found that abortion is the “most important issue” for more than one in four black voters.

It has long been a key political issue, but has increased in importance since 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Roe v.