When will Napheesa Collier play again? How the Lynx star’s ankle injuries affect Unrivaled originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Mere days before the start of Unrivaled’s second season, the league has been rocked by the news that one of its star players is going to miss out on the action.
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Napheesa Collier, the Minnesota Lynx forward and one of the 3-on-3 league’s co-founders, will undergo surgery on both ankles in a major blow to 2025 runners-up Lunar Owls BC.
Collier’s spot will be taken by Golden State Valkyries forward Temi Fagbenle, and she will not get the chance to defend the MVP award she won in the league’s inaugural season last year.
How much time will Napheesa Collier miss?
Collier will miss the entire Unrivaled season, which runs from Jan. 5 through March 4. That includes the midseason 1-on-1 tournament that Collier won last year.
“I am heartbroken to share that I will miss this Unrivaled season,” Collier wrote on Instagram. “I have fought hard over the last few months to be back with my Owls and was devastated to be told by my team of doctors that surgery was the best path forward.
In all, Collier will miss four to six months of action. That timeline could rule her out until the WNBA’s All-Star break, leaving the Lynx without their star anchor and one of the league’s most complete players.
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Collier injured her right ankle in a game against the Las Vegas Aces on Aug. 2 and missed multiple weeks as she recovered from a sprain. During the WNBA semifinals, Collier tore three ligaments in her left ankle as the Lynx were eliminated by the Phoenix Mercury.
Intervening surgically has been deemed the best option for Collier, a five-time All-Star who has been the WNBA MVP runner-up in the past two seasons and joined the league’s 50/40/90 club in 2025.
Without Collier, Lunar Owls’ championship dreams have been dealt a serious blow. Guard Skylar Diggins will take on a significant leadership role, while Aaliyah Edwards and Marina Mabrey will have to carry more of the scoring load.
