Napheesa Collier Cleared to Return as Minnesota Lynx Eye Championship

The Minnesota Lynx announced that forward Napheesa Collier has been medically cleared to play in the upcoming road game against the Seattle Storm. After undergoing right-ankle surgery in January and left-ankle surgery on March 24, Collier missed the first ten weeks of the 2026 season and rejoined team practice on July 1. The team expects her debut on Wednesday.

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Minnesota entered the season with the league’s best record (21-6), sitting two games ahead of both the Golden State Valkyries and the Las Vegas Aces. Rookie guard Olivia Miles, the No. 2 overall pick, leads the rookie class with a 19.6 points-per-game average and 6.0 assists, positioning herself as a strong Rookie-of-the-Year candidate. Veteran forward Natasha Howard, now in her 13th season, is averaging 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds, while Nia Coffey contributes a career-high 26.5 minutes per game. The Lynx have maintained their standing despite Collier’s absence, thanks to depth from players such as Anastasiia Olairi Kosu, Antonia Delaere, and Dorka Juhász.

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• Collier’s 2025 season made her the second WNBA player ever to finish with at least 50 % field-goal shooting, 40 % from three-point range, and 90 % from the free-throw line.

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• She placed second in MVP voting for the second consecutive year.

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• Miles averages 19.6 points and 6.0 assists per game.

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• Howard averages 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds; Coffey averages 7.7 points and 5.3 rebounds while logging 26.5 minutes per contest.

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Coach Cheryl Reeve emphasized that Collier’s return will require a period of conditioning. Reeve also said the front line has been “overworked” and that the roster will benefit from additional help.

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Collier herself described the recovery process as extensive but purposeful. She highlighted a daily regimen of treatment, rehab, and lifting, as well as supplemental nutrition and high-tech recovery tools such as a red-light bed and hyperbaric chamber.

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Collier’s return restores a primary post presence, allowing Howard and Coffey to share interior duties and reducing the workload on the front line. The pairing of Collier with Miles—a forward-guard combination that analysts have long touted as championship-caliber—offers Minnesota a more balanced offensive threat and could be decisive in the pursuit of a title.

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• “Just getting their legs underneath them,” — Miles. Guards Courtney Williams

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• “She just gives me such a purpose and really puts everything into perspective,” — Shop Phee

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