Napheesa Collier Is Almost Back: A Super Simple Story About the Minnesota Lynx

Written by Myron Medcalf on July 11, 2026, 1:01 PM ET from Minneapolis

What Happened on Saturday?

The Minnesota Lynx are a team in the WNBA (that’s a basketball league for women, like the NBA but for ladies). On Saturday, they won a very exciting game:

• They beat the New York Liberty by a score of 90-85.
• After the game, their coach, Cheryl Reeve, said that their superstar Napheesa Collier (everyone calls her "Phee") might come back to play very soon.

Important Point: Collier has been hurt. She had two ankle surgeries (doctors fixed both her ankles) in the offseason. Reeve said: "You don’t know what the game situations are going to bring… it’s going to be a little bit of feeling it out, trial and error. I don’t have a date for you as to when, but obviously she’s getting really close."

Where the Team Stands Right Now

• The Lynx have a record of 17 wins and 6 losses (written as 17-6). That’s really good!
• They are tied for first place in the whole WNBA with another team called the Las Vegas Aces. Think of "standings" like a leaderboard.
• They have 5 more games before a big fun event called the WNBA All-Star Game (a special game where the best players play together). That game is in Chicago on July 25.
  • Out of those 5 games, 3 are at home (in their own city).

Who Is Napheesa Collier?

Let’s learn about the star:

• She is an All-Star (one of the best players chosen for special games).
• In 2024 and 2025, she came in second place for MVP (Most Valuable Player – the award for the best player in the league). The player who beat her both times was A’ja Wilson.
• She recently started practicing again to get ready for her first game this season.
• Coach Reeve said before Saturday’s game: "With regard to her [return], it’s still Phee’s team. There is not anybody that walks into the gym that doesn’t know that it’s still Phee’s team."
• Two other players, Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride, are happy to say the team belongs to Collier.

Olivia Miles: The Awesome Rookie

While Collier was healing, a rookie (a first-year player) named Olivia Miles became a big star.

• On Saturday, she scored 23 points (points are like points in any game), grabbed 5 rebounds (caught balls that missed the hoop), and made 4 assists (passed to friends who then scored).
• According to ESPN Research, she is the fastest player ever in the WNBA to reach:
  • 350 points
  • 100 rebounds
  • 100 assists
    (All combined in her first games!)
• She was voted to start in the All-Star Game.
• People are even talking about her as an MVP candidate (someone who could win the best player award). Another teammate, Natasha Howard (who scored 16 points Saturday), is also in that talk.

Important: Even though Miles is amazing, Coach Reeve says it’s too early to call anyone but Collier the leader. She said: "I think it’s premature to anoint anyone other than [Collier] as the leader of this team."

What Other Players Said and Did

• Kayla McBride scored the most points in the game: 25 points. She made 5 out of 11 shots from far away (called three-pointers). She helped the team after the Liberty took the lead because Sabrina Ionescu scored 19 points in the third part of the game.
• McBride said the team is like a family: "When you care about one another and you’re trying to win every possession… adding an MVP candidate for the last couple years into that mix just gets us really excited."
• The team has good "cohesion" (they work well together) and confidence.

Coach Reeve’s Big Record and Future Plans

• Reeve just broke a record! She now has the most regular-season wins by any coach in WNBA history. She got that record with an 86-80 win over the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday.
• She said Collier will benefit from playing with Miles, like past Lynx stars Seimone Augustus and Maya Moore had great "point guards" (players who help direct the team and pass the ball). Reeve said: "She needs more than herself, and that’s for her to play with a point guard like Olivia Miles… [Collier] hasn’t experienced that yet."
• Reeve wants to see them play together first: "Then maybe let’s get some games with [Collier and Miles] together and figure out what they look like and then we can start putting in a pecking order."
• She also said Miles’ tough playing style is "natural" but Collier is still the main boss.

What Happens Next? (Numbered Steps)

1. The Lynx will play 5 more games (3 at home) before the break.
2. The WNBA All-Star Game will happen in Chicago on July 25.
3. Collier will likely make her season debut soon (maybe in one of those games), but no exact date is set.
4. Fans will see how Collier and Miles play together for the first time.

Summary

To wrap it up in a simple way:

• The Minnesota Lynx are doing great (17-6) and tied for first place.
• Their main star, Napheesa Collier, is almost ready to return after ankle surgeries.
• While she was out, rookie Olivia Miles broke records and became a star.
• Coach Cheryl Reeve says Collier is still the leader, but Miles makes the team even stronger.
• Everyone is excited to see them play together soon!

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q1: What is the WNBA?
A: It’s a basketball league where the best women players in the United States compete. Think of it as the top level of women’s pro basketball.

Q2: Why is Napheesa Collier such a big deal?
A: She is a two-time MVP runner-up (second best player in 2024 and 2025) and the coach says the team is still "her team" even when others shine.

Q3: What amazing thing did Olivia Miles do?
A: ESPN Research says she is the fastest player in league history to get 350 points, 100 rebounds, and 100 assists all together, and she did it in her first season!

Q4: When is the All-Star Game and where?
A: It’s on July 25 in Chicago. The Lynx have five games before that.

Q5: Who holds the record for most coaching wins in the WNBA?
A: Coach Cheryl Reeve of the Lynx, after her team beat the Connecticut Sun 86-80 on Wednesday.