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Slow-Mo Angle of Napheesa Collier’s Ankle Injury Sparks Serious Concern After Lynx Loss

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cole Sullivan | Last updated Sep 27, 2025 11:31 AM ET

The Minnesota Lynx have been the WNBA’s top team for much of the season and entered Friday night with a 2-0 series lead over the Phoenix Mercury, needing just one more win to advance to the WNBA Finals for the second straight year.

However, the Mercury pulled out a hard-fought victory to force a Game 4, and the Lynx’s biggest concern now centers on superstar Napheesa Collier, who went down with an injury in the final moments.

With the Mercury leading 90-86, Collier had the ball stolen by guard Alyssa Thomas and rolled her ankle on the play, appearing to be in significant pain. Afterward, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said Collier “probably has a fracture” during a fiery postgame rant about officiating, which came shortly after she was ejected.

"One of the best players in our league shot 0 free throws. She had five fouls... got her shoulder pulled out, and finished the game with her leg being taken out. And probably has a fracture," Reeve said. "If this is what our league wants, ok. But I want to call for a change of leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating. It's bad for the game."

Check out the slow-mo angle of Collier’s injury:

I’m an Alyssa Thomas hater but that was clearly a clean steal and incidental incident with Phee
Here’s a closer replay showing the ankle injury on Napheesa Collier pic.twitter.com/84TzJUXdoa
— Gio (@jsmove7) September 27, 2025

Concern has now set in among WNBA fans for Collier, who would be a massive loss for the Lynx this late in the postseason with a championship well within reach.

"Prayers for Collier! It's terrible that the league has come to all of this. The foul last night where Lexie came down on the hill of a player's foot and wasn't upgraded because it wasn't the front of the foot is also ridiculous a foot is a foot," a fan said.

Someone else added, "Really hope Phee is okay."

Another person wrote, "I hate this for her."

"Man she’s done. This was the same with CC and Hali. Tears for knowing it’s done. Gutted for her," one more fan commented.

While Napheesa Collier will likely undergo an X-ray and MRI to fully determine the extent of her injury, any missed time could prove significant with the Lynx just one win away from advancing to the championship. That series will be played against either the Las Vegas Aces or the Indiana Fever, with the Aces taking a 2-1 lead on Friday night.

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

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