Nia Coffey Siblings: All About Sydney Coffey and Amir Coffey

Nia Coffey is an American professional basketball player currently playing as a small forward for the Atlanta Dream in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Born on June 11, 1995, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Nia comes from a family deeply rooted in basketball.

She attended Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, Minnesota, where she excelled as a McDonald’s All-American.

Nia went on to play college basketball at Northwestern University, where she made history as one of the program’s most decorated players.

Drafted fifth overall by the San Antonio Stars in the 2017 WNBA Draft, Nia has since built a solid professional career, known for her versatility, tenacious defense, and three-point shooting.

Siblings

Nia has two siblings, Sydney Coffey and Amir Coffey, both of whom have also made significant marks in the basketball world, continuing the family’s athletic legacy.

Sydney Coffey, the eldest of the Coffey siblings, was born on October 26, 1993. Like Nia, she attended Hopkins High School, where she contributed to the school’s basketball success.

Sydney went on to play college basketball at Marist College in New York, where she had a standout career with the Red Foxes.

During her senior year (2016-2017), she averaged 14.9 points per game and was named to the All-MAAC First Team.

After college, Sydney pursued a professional career overseas, playing in various leagues before transitioning out of professional basketball.

Amir Coffey, the youngest sibling, was born on June 17, 1997, and is a professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA.

Like his sisters, Amir starred at Hopkins High School, earning Minnesota Mr. Basketball honors in 2016.

He played college basketball for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, where he averaged 16.6 points per game in his junior year (2018-2019) and earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors.

Although he went undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft, Amir signed a two-way contract with the Clippers and has since established himself as a versatile wing player.

In July 2022, he signed a three-year, $11 million contract with the Clippers.

Nia and Amir made history as the first siblings to play professionally in the same city—Los Angeles—when Nia joined the Los Angeles Sparks in 2021 while Amir was with the Clippers.

Career

Coffey’s basketball career is a testament to her skill, determination, and versatility.

After a stellar high school career at Hopkins, where she helped lead the team to three Minnesota state championships, Nia enrolled at Northwestern University.

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She made an immediate impact as a freshman in the 2013-2014 season, becoming the first player in Northwestern history to earn First Team All-Big Ten honors as a freshman.

Over her four-year collegiate career, Nia set numerous records, including the program’s all-time leader in rebounds (1,183), free throws made (496), and consecutive double-digit scoring games (66).

She also ranks second in career points (2,287) and blocked shots (229). Nia became the fifth player in Big Ten history to record over 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career.

In 2017, Nia was selected fifth overall by the San Antonio Stars in the WNBA Draft, the highest draft pick in Northwestern basketball history.

She made her professional debut on May 13, 2017, against the New York Liberty.

Over the years, Nia has played for several WNBA teams, including the Las Vegas Aces (after the Stars relocated), Atlanta Dream, Phoenix Mercury, and Los Angeles Sparks.

Her career-high in points came on May 27, 2018, when she scored 23 points against the Seattle Storm while with the Aces.

In 2021, while with the Sparks, Nia and her brother Amir became the first siblings to play professionally in the same city in the WNBA and NBA, respectively.

Since joining the Atlanta Dream in 2022, Nia has continued to contribute as a reliable forward.

In the 2023 season, she recorded career highs in rebounds (13, against the Connecticut Sun on July 20) and blocks (6, against the Dallas Wings on June 2, 2021, while with the Sparks).

Beyond the WNBA, Nia has played overseas during offseasons, including stints with teams in Australia, Turkey, Poland, France, and Israel.

Currently, she is playing for the Townsville Fire in Australia’s Women’s National Basketball League during the 2024-2025 WNBA offseason.

Accolades

Coffey’s career is decorated with numerous accolades that highlight her excellence on the court.

During high school, she was named a McDonald’s All-American in 2013 and won multiple Minnesota state championships with Hopkins High School.

In college, she earned First Team All-Big Ten (Coaches) honors all four years from 2014 to 2017, becoming the first player in Northwestern history to achieve this feat; she also received All-Big Ten First Team (Media) recognition for three years from 2015 to 2017, was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team in 2014, and received Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American honors in 2016 and 2017, as well as WBCA All-America Honorable Mention in 2016.

She was a three-time Big Ten Player of the Week and won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship.

Professionally, she was the fifth overall pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft, the first Wildcat selected in the WNBA Draft, and was inducted into the Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024.

In terms of records, Nia is Northwestern’s all-time leader in rebounds (1,183), free throws made (496), and consecutive double-digit scoring games (66); she ranks second in career points (2,287) and blocked shots (229) and set the single-season rebounding record with 344 in the 2015-2016 season.