‘Unhealthy’ air quality expected in eastern Minnesota through Monday afternoon due to wildfire smoke

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

Napheesa Collier is back, and she is expected to make her return to the Lynx's home court Tuesday.

This is on the heels of the league's All-Star break that followed Collier's season debut in the Lynx's 86-76 win over Seattle on Wednesday. Collier led scoring with 24 points and 10 rebounds.  

"I was just so excited," Collier said after the game. "I felt like a kid in a candy store. I couldn't wait to get out on the court to get with these guys. I'm just really happy to be here." 

It was her first time on a WNBA court since September, when she was sidelined by a left ankle injury sustained in a semifinals game last season against the Phoenix Mercury. She had double ankle surgery during the WNBA offseason.  

Aside from rehabbing, she has kept busy in an offseason that has proven to be eventful. For the WNBA, a new collective bargaining agreement fundamentally changed the financial landscape of the league. Collier saw the second season of a new three-on-three league she founded. And trades of an unprecedented unrestricted free agency class shook up the fabric of teams. 

Now, halfway through the season in the team’s final sprint to playoffs, Collier is ready to be back.  

Here are three things to know before she makes her return Tuesday.

She looks like the Phee fans know and love  

In her season debut in Seattle on Wednesday, she quickly fell into her familiar rhythm of success.

Going into Phee's return, Coach Cheryl Reeve told her team to keep playing like they have been all season, she told reporters after the game.  

"I told the others we didn't want to focus on Phee being out there. She would find her place and fit in. And that's exactly what she what she did," Reeve said. "She's just really good basketball player." 

Collier said it was nearly "a year of pent-up excitement” leading up to it.  

Both Reeve and Collier said there was some adrenaline that fueled her performance — but it evened out quickly. Collier played 22 minutes and led the Lynx with a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds.

Coming back to a home court, the team is already expecting the palpable excitement, Reeve said.

"I suspect that the energy in the building is going to be nuts before the game starts. That's what I really enjoy is when I walk into the bowl with a few minutes before, and you can feel it already. There's a buzz," she said. "They care so deeply about Phee and the journey of the return, and they're all going to be there cheering her on."

"When she gets announced as a starter, it'll probably be pretty darn loud, maybe the loudest of the season, which is really saying something."

You might see her across more screens than just those showing W games  

On Friday, the new docuseries "Life in the W" from ESPN premiered. It follows WNBA stars DeWanna Bonner, A'ja Wilson and Napheesa Collier. The show, which was filmed over the 2025 season, tells the story of Collier helping shape the future of the league.

It covers everything from Collier's experience as a mother coming back to play to her time as a labor leader in the fight for the new CBA.

Collier remains reserved on social media but said she hopes the show offers a "peek behind the curtain."

"To be able to see that it's not all rainbows and roses, I think, is important too," Collier said. "Just seeing what we go through, like we're real people, and to be able to do that, I think, was really cool."  

Outside of that, she also partnered with Jordan to make her Player Exclusive "Queen Phee" Heir Series 2 shoe. On Monday during practice, she gifted her teammates a pair of the Lynx-inspired green and blue shoes, a goal she had since they came out.

"They really inspire me every day," she said. "The dedication and the work and the buy-in that they have done, I am only successful because of my teammates, and I want to share in that with them." 

She’s excited to be back with fans at home

Regardless of Collier being injured half the 2026 season, fans have continued to show up in their number 24 jerseys, repping Phee regardless of her status.

In the months watching from the sidelines, she's been able to absorb the fans from a new perspective, she said.

"This has been such a long journey, but the way that they've supported me through it all, I'm just so thankful," Collier said. "There's a reason why we said we have the best fans in the world. We really do. They support us through everything, and it's been fun to see the way that they support the team as they always do."  

"Just seeing the way that they show up for every game, the way that they ride for us through thick and thin, it's just it's really humbling, and it's been amazing to see."  

Now, fans had better not switch up their fits, as she is set to make her home court season debut Tuesday against Toronto. She'll be expecting it.  

"When I picture coming back it is being in Target [Center] on my home court, surrounded by my teammates," she said Monday. "I can't wait to have that finally come to fruition."  

Sports

Minnesota Lynx

NewsPartners

Homepage

Anika Besst

Author

Napheesa Collier was sidelined by a left ankle injury sustained in a semifinals game last season against the Phoenix Mercury. She had double ankle surgery during the WNBA offseason.  

'Queen Phee' reigns again: The return of Lynx star Napheesa Collier

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox