MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier has returned to practice with the team, moving closer to making her 2026 debut following offseason surgery on both ankles.
The Lynx announced Wednesday that Collier was continuing to progress as expected in her rehabilitation process from the procedure she had done on March 24. Minnesota plays next at New York on Friday.
The five-time All-Star signed a one-year, supermax contract that will allow her to be an unrestricted free agent entering 2027. Collier averaged a career-high 22.9 points per game last season while shooting 53.1% from the floor, 40.3% from 3-point range and 90.6% from the foul line, becoming the first player in WNBA history to post 50/40/90 shooting splits while averaging 20-plus points per game.
The sixth overall pick by the Lynx in the 2019 draft, Collier finished second to A’ja Wilson in the league MVP voting in each of the last two years. She won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2024.
Collier injured her left ankle in Game 3 of the 2025 WNBA semifinals against Phoenix, prematurely ending her season. The No. 1 seed Lynx lost the series to the Mercury in five games.
Behind rookie Olivia Miles, the second overall pick in the draft, the Lynx are off to a league-leading 15-4 start.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Expedia Cruises invites you to experience travel at its most refined. From intimate wildlife… Read moreElite Explorers Expo
Be a winemaker for an evening and craft your own Bordeaux-style blend. Read moreIntroduction to Wine Blending
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.