The Minnesota Lynx have developed a long legacy of WNBA superstars, and their past and present icons were able to come together during the team's June 13 practice. The most notable sighting was the sweet reunion moment between reigning Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier and four-time champion Seimone Augustus, who overlapped for one year before the latter left for the Los Angeles Sparks.

After the retired Lynx stars hung around to witness the current squad's practice, Collier and Augustus fondly reminisced on their mentorship dynamic during media day.

“To have someone like Seimone be your vet and have her be so welcoming too, you hear stories where that doesn't always happen, and so I was really lucky in my vets and to have Mone,” Collier expressed with gratitude.

“Her competitiveness, and she's so calm in her exterior in that way, but the way that she turns it on, she's a very competitive person,” Collier said. “So seeing that come out of her and [having her] teach that to me in my rookie year, it was an amazing experience.”

“As a rookie, you're like a baby bird. You don't know what's going on, you need help with everything. And [Augustus] and [Sylvia Fowles] really took me under their wing in that way.”

Collier entered the league in 2019 after being chosen sixth overall by the Lynx. Augustus had helped build Minnesota into one of the most dominant dynasties in WNBA history alongside the likes of all-time greats like Fowles and Maya Moore. Collier described what it was like to play with W stars who would usually be intimidating to a rookie.

“Anytime I had questions, Seimone and Syl were the first ones to give me their numbers and say ‘hit me up if you need anything.' [Hanging] out even outside of the court, just making me feel really comfortable. And I think that's leadership,” the 28-year-old declared.

“Do you necessarily want to be hanging out with the rookie? She probably didn't,” Collier joked with a smile. “But as a leader, she knew that chemistry built off the court is what makes you a great team on the court. So, she's kind of the one who taught me that.”

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The feelings definitely seem mutual, as Augustus had just as many positive things to say about her former mentee and went into detail about the potential she saw in a young Collier.

“I'd seen the maturity, obviously, and I'd seen the observation,” Augustus began. “She was really quiet, like myself, and she would just sit back and watch myself and Syl kind of lead the team and see how we would go about our business, and now I see all of those similarities in the way that she goes about her business on the court.”

The three-time Olympic gold medalist proudly discussed the growth she's seen in the sixth professional season under Collier's belt, which has also made her the top candidate for this year's MVP award.

“The way that she plays, the way that she leads by example first, but then also vocally, you see her instructing her teammates and cheering them on,” the Hall of Famer continued. “Or if she's got to get on them a little bit, she [will].

“But her level of play, I knew it would increase. It's just a matter of figuring out the game and getting the tempo and the pace of the W. But it was only a matter of time and, I guess, this is her time.”

With Augustus officially passing the torch from one generation to the next with her seal of approval, she's prepared to accept her next career honor. The LSU assistant coach rejoined the Lynx ahead of their June 14 contest against the Sparks — the team she left Minnesota for just a few years ago — for a special team-planned celebration of her 2024 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction.