Lynx Make Napheesa Collier Announcement on Tuesday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Apr 21, 2026 5:42 PM ET

Napheesa Collier had her best year with the Minnesota Lynx in 2025. Unfortunately, it was cut short by a season-ending injury in Game 3 of the WNBA playoffs semifinals against the Phoenix Mercury.

Collier sustained an ankle injury, which was later diagnosed as a Grade 2 tear of three ligaments in her left ankle and a muscle in her shin. She ended up undergoing surgery in January for both her left and right ankles.

Collier finished the 2025 season as the runner-up for the Most Valuable Player title behind Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson. Collier averaged 22.9 points on 53.1% shooting, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 triples per game.

Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) celebrates after defeating the Phoenix Mercury.Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

When Collier underwent surgery in January, the initial diagnosis was that she was set to miss four to six months. This meant that the five-time All-Star would not be available for the start of the new WNBA season in May.

The Lynx shared an update on Collier on Tuesday, and there has been a significant development in her road to recovery. The team announced the news via a press release on its website.

“Collier underwent successful surgery on her left ankle on March 24. Her rehabilitation is progressing as expected, and the current timeline for a return to on-court activities is early June. Further updates on Collier’s progress will be provided when available,” the release read.

As it turns out, Collier required another procedure on her left ankle in March. The silver lining, however, is that there appears to have been no setback in her original timetable.

Collier, who signed a massive $1.4 million, one-year supermax contract with the Lynx in free agency, is expected to resume on-court activities in early June. This aligns with the four-to-six-month timeframe given in January.

Based on this latest update, Collier could potentially make her debut sometime in June. She would have missed roughly one month of the season by then. However, she would still have ample opportunity to make up for lost time for the rest of the campaign.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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