MN Lynx Superstar Needs Surgery + Extended Recovery Timeline

It has been a few months since Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve completely crashed out during the team’s semifinal loss to Phoenix. Her outburst was totally warranted, though. WNBA officials completely embarrassed themselves with inconsistency throughout the series, and it all boiled over with the brutal no-call that left Napheesa Collier injured and unable to finish the game.

The WNBA season won’t return until mid-May. But bad news hit today for Napheesa Collier, co-founder and reigning MVP of Unrivaled. The 3-on-3 winter league starts its second season January 5, and Collier was expected to play again. Instead, she’ll soon have surgery and miss the whole thing with a 4-6 month recovery.

Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier in for extensive rehab

Following the Lynx’s painful playoff exit and the controversial way it ended, Napheesa Collier spoke out. She publicly challenged WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert for better officiating accountability. At the same time, Collier pushed through rehab on her serious ankle injury from that no-call. Now, months later, doctors have decided surgery on both ankles is necessary.

Breaking: Napheesa Collier will undergo surgery on her ankles, sidelining her for four to six months and forcing her to miss the upcoming Unrivaled season, the league announced Thursday. pic.twitter.com/2WG2NY0SxP

— ESPN (@espn) January 1, 2026

The former Rookie of the Year, Collier was robbed of her first MVP in 2025. Finishing in 2nd place for the second-straight season, Collier averaged a career-best 22.9 points per game.

She also cemented her status as the best in the game in the virtual world last year. In NBA 2K26, Collier earned a 98 overall rating, the highest in the sport and ahead of actual MVP winner A’ja Wilson.

With a 4-6 month timeline, Collier’s return falls somewhere between April and June. That puts the start of the WNBA season in question and rules her out of competing in Unrivaled this winter.

The Minnesota Lynx finished with the WNBA’s best record last season but bowed out in the semifinals to Phoenix. They are still chasing a fifth championship.

After trading out of an opportunity to draft Angel Reese in 2024, the Lynx now have the second-overall pick in 2026. They will have a serious opportunity to draft an impact player alongside Collier right out of the gate.