Napheesa Collier to undergo double ankle surgery that complicates Unrivaled, Lynx seasons
Napheesa Collier isn’t starting the new year off on the ideal foot — nor any.
The Lynx star forward will miss the upcoming Unrivaled season — the 3 vs. 3 offseason league she founded with the Liberty’s Breanna Stewart — as she is set to undergo surgery on both her ankles and will be sidelined for four to six months, the organization announced Thursday morning.
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The surgery will take place sometime in the first week of January and will be done in New York City by Dr. Martin O’Malley, according to ESPN.
With the WNBA’s season calendar to begin in May — the schedule hasn’t been released yet — the Lynx could be without their best player to kick off the 2026 season.
The five-time All-Star ran into several ankle injuries during the WNBA season and they betrayed her on a run as the clear MVP favorite before she finished second to A’ja Wilson for the second straight season.
The injuries also doomed the Lynx while they tried to return to the WNBA Finals after losing to the Liberty in five games in 2024.
In a game against the Aces on Aug. 2, Collier sprained her right ankle and was out for three weeks.
During the playoffs in September, she tore three ligaments in her left ankle in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals against the Mercury.
After entering the postseason as the WNBA’s top seed and outpacing every other squad in seemingly every way in the regular season, the Lynx were eliminated in four games and watched Phoenix take their prized spot in the Finals.
During a virtual press conference in December, Collier expressed confidence in her ability to be healthy by the start of Unrivaled’s second season.
She said she did not need surgery and was “still working to get back to 100 percent” by January.
Just a few days before the Unrivaled season opener next Monday, she made the call after receiving consultation in Miami and Minnesota that ruled her recovery should have been further along by this point.
In her place on the Lunar Owls’ roster will be Valkyries forward Temi Fagbenle.
Despite all the injuries, Collier enjoyed a career-year in the WNBA.
She averaged 22.9 points per game on 53 percent shooting from the field, while also holding a 40 percent clip from deep.
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