During Game 4 of the WNBA Semifinals between the Minnesota Lynx and the Phoenix Mercury, the Lynx were playing without star forward Napheesa Collier due to injury. The Lynx would go on to lose that game and thus were eliminated from the postseason.
Napheesa Collier suffered an ankle injury that at the time, caused quite an uproar and resulted in Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve being ejected from Game 3 of the series. Reeve would ultimately be suspended for the deciding Game 4 following her postgame comments.
Although the 2026 WNBA season remains in doubt amid ongoing CBA negotiations, Collier provided an update on her ankle injury during a media availability session for Unrivaled, as per Kendra Andrews of ESPN.
As per Collier, she acknowledged that she suffered a Grade 2 tear in her ankle and shin muscles, and is still working to get back being 100 percent on the court. She did not need surgery and she is hoping to be back to full strength by the time January rolls around. The second season of Unrivaled is scheduled to begin on Jan. 5.
Throughout much of the 2025 WNBA season, the Lynx were considered one of the championship favorites, with Collier among the leading candidates for the league’s MVP Award.
She appeared in a total of 33 games at a little over 32 minutes per game. She averaged a career-high 22.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.5 blocked shots with splits of 53.1 percent shooting from the field, 40.3 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 90.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
During the Lynx’s playoff run, Collier averaged 20.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocked shots while shooting 53.8 percent from the field.