What happened to Napheesa Collier? Colossal injury blow to Minnesota Lynx as superstar heads to locker room

Napheesa Collier played just 19 minutes in the Minnesota Lynx’s 76-62 win over a short-handed Las Vegas Aces squad missing A’ja Wilson on Tuesday, exiting in the third quarter due to a back issue.

She clutched her back as she headed to the locker room, and Lynx PR later confirmed the injury was back-related, announcing she would not return.

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Before exiting, Collier posted seven points and six rebounds, finishing with a minus-12 rating. Despite her early departure, the Lynx roared back from a 14-point hole to win by 14.

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Courtney Williams stepped up in her absence, leading the team with 20 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals, while Diamond Miller and Natisha Hiedeman chipped in 12 each. Alanna Smith added a double-double with 10 points and 13 boards.

After the win, Williams offered reassurance on Collier’s condition, highlighting her resilience following a busy stretch that included the WNBA Finals, an MVP-winning Unrivaled stint and a scorching start to the season.

“Yeah, she good, you know, she gonna do what she need to do to obviously get herself back to where she need to get herself to,” Williams said. “So, we ain't worried about Phee, man. She a fighter. She gon' do what she needs to do.”

Napheesa Collier is averaging a career-best 26.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this season, making her an early MVP frontrunner.

Napheesa Collier, Caitlin Clark set for Commissioner’s Cup showdown

The July 1 Commissioner’s Cup Final between the Minnesota Lynx and Indiana Fever could feature a marquee clash between MVP candidates Napheesa Collier and Caitlin Clark.

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Both stars’ health will be key storylines, with Collier nursing a back issue and Clark just recently returning from a quad strain that sidelined her for five games.

Clark has been on fire herself, averaging 21.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg and 9.2 assists per game. She led the Fever to an 88-71 clincher over the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday with 20 points and six assists.

The Commissioner’s Cup Final will mark the first meeting between the Lynx and Fever this season. Minnesota enters at 10-1, the league’s best record, while Indiana sits at 6-5.

About the author

John Ezekiel Hirro is an experienced NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda, with over five years in the field as a news correspondent, sports writer, and Editor-in-Chief. His sports writing career began in high school, where he garnered numerous accolades, including being named the national sports writing champion in 2016.

He earned his journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines in 2024 and served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Varsitarian, the university's official student publication, for four years—the longest in history.

A passionate basketball enthusiast, he became a fan of the OKC Thunder during the Russ-KD-Harden era. Russell Westbrook, his all-time favorite athlete, impressed him by stepping up as MVP after Kevin Durant's departure. His current favorite players include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who he believes are the future of the OKC franchise.

He excels in game analysis and rapid news story turnaround, drawing inspiration from the journalistic styles of Woj and Shams. He emphasizes thorough research to ensure accuracy in his articles. One of his most memorable moments is Russell Westbrook breaking Oscar Robertson's record with his 42nd triple-double and securing a 106-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Outside of writing, he enjoys listening to music and creating Spotify playlists.

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Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro