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Myron MedcalfApr 18, 2026, 05:24 AM<\/p>\n
Close<\/a> Covers college basketball Multiple Authors<\/p>\n MINNEAPOLIS – Three months after undergoing surgery on both ankles<\/a>, Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier<\/a> says she’s working to return to the court “soon.”<\/p>\n One day after agreeing to one-year, $1.4 million supermax deal<\/a> with the Lynx, Collier was all smiles Friday as she arrived at the team’s practice facility, albeit on crutches with a boot on her right ankle as she continues to recover from the procedures on both ankles.<\/p>\n Collier, who finished second to Las Vegas Aces<\/a> star A’Ja Wilson<\/a> in last season’s WNBA MVP race, says she expects to compete this season for the Lynx.<\/p>\n Editor’s Picks<\/p>\n 2 Related<\/p>\n “Right now, I’m just working as fast as I can with my doctors and my [physical therapy] staff, just trying to get back on the court,” Collier said. “But everything is going well, so you’ll see me soon.”<\/p>\n On Thursday, Collier – only the second player in WNBA history to have a 50\/40\/90 season – became the third player to sign a supermax deal, along with Wilson and Indiana<\/a>‘s Kelsey Mitchell<\/a>, under an historic, new collective bargaining agreement<\/a> that laid the groundwork for the first seven-figure deals for free agents in WNBA history – deals that Collier helped orchestrate as the vice president of the WNBPA.<\/p>\n Collier, was “cored<\/a>” by the Lynx, a distinction comparable to the NFL’s franchise tag, last week. That move allowed the team to negotiate terms on a potential multiyear deal but Collier instead opted for a one-year contract, which will allow her to become an unrestricted free agent in 2027.<\/p>\n Collier said she’s not thinking about the future right now.<\/p>\n “I’m so focused on, right now, with my injury and this year and winning a championship,” she said when asked about her future in Minnesota. “That is what I’m doing, so getting back with our amazing staff, playing with our amazing players and just focused on this year and winning.”<\/p>\n With Kayla McBride<\/a>, who made 40 percent of her 3-point attempts last season, and WNBA all-star Courtney Williams<\/a> also returning to Minnesota on new deals, the Lynx return three key pieces<\/a> from last year’s team. Collier, McBride and Williams were the anchors of a team that lost to the New York Liberty<\/a> in five games in the 2024 WNBA Finals and lost to the Phoenix Mercury<\/a> 3-1 in the opening round of last season’s playoffs after Collier suffered an injury in Game 3 and didn’t play in the final game of the series.<\/p>\n The rest of Minnesota’s roster entering this season, however, is significantly different after standouts Bridget Carleton<\/a>, Natisha Hiedeman<\/a>, Jessica Shepard<\/a>, Alanna Smith<\/a> and DiJonai Carrington<\/a> all left in free agency.<\/p>\n But the Lynx added TCU<\/a> star Olivia Miles<\/a> with the second pick in Monday’s WNBA draft<\/a>. Miles, who led the Horned Frogs to an Elite Eight appearance in last month’s NCAA Tournament, has already impressed her teammates after the Lynx played pickup together on Thursday.<\/p>\n “I’ve been around her and I’ve been around her energy, but actually being on the court with her, it’s a whole different feel,” McBride said. “And I know once she really gets acclimated and comfortable, it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch. Obviously, the [WNBA] is a little bit faster, a little bit more physical, but I think she’s going to adjust really, really well. And we’re excited for sure, even just after one day of pickup.”<\/p>\n Minnesota’s success in 2026 will rest largely on when Collier can return for the Lynx, which the WNBA star is optimistic about.<\/p>\n “My goal is to get back as fast as I can and to win a championship and to be with these guys too and to be around them and to still try to be a leader even when I’m not playing,” she said. “And then hopefully, have that transition nice and smooth for when I get back on the court as well.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Myron MedcalfApr 18, 2026, 05:24 AM Close Covers college basketball Joined ESPN.com in 2011 Graduate of Minnesota State…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":590672,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":{"0":"post-590671","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wnba","8":"tag-sports","9":"tag-wnba"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=590671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590671\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/590672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=590671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=590671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=590671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n Joined ESPN.com in 2011
\n Graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato<\/p>\n