Queen Phee’s return: ‘The epitome of a role model for this state’
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Minnesota Lynx fans welcomed back star forward Napheesa Collier in the team’s 100-93 win against the Toronto Tempo.
Cheers rang out in Target Center for over 10 seconds when Collier was announced as a starter. She was back on her home court Tuesday after an ankle injury and double ankle surgery caused her to miss the first half of the season. She hasn’t been on the home court since September.
Collier's season debut was an away game on Wednesday. Minnesota beat Seattle 86-76, and Collier led scoring with 24 points and added 10 rebounds.
Since 2019, when the Lynx drafted Collier, she has won fans' hearts. She took a season off to have a baby, created a 3-on-3 league and continued to be a champion for the collective bargaining agreement. Last season, she ended as only the second in league history to finish a regular season with a 50-40-90 shooting split.
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Her leadership has resonated with fans, who showed up in homemade signs and shirts on Tuesday night.
Attendance was over 12,000, with fans sporting every version of Collier gear: number 24 jerseys from every year of her career, cartoon designs of her nickname "Queen Phee" and new Nike Rebel Edition uniform.
Fan Mars Hellmuth of Minneapolis wore the All-Star jersey from last season.
“She’s an incredible player, and then also just who she is as a human is just like phenomenal,” Hellmuth said. “You see people who you wonder, ‘is that a persona or is that who they really are?’ And then you hear all these moments, and you see these moments with her, and you see that's who she really is.”
Fans Lian Duan and her husband have been diehards for the Lynx for a few years since they became “addicted,” according to her, during the team’s championship run against the New York Liberty in 2024.
For Duan, who wore a recently released remake of a shirt with a retro Lynx logo, her appreciation for Collier comes from a place of heart rate monitoring.
“I just get a sense of calm when she takes the ball because it's like I know things will be all right, like she gets things done,” she said. “She just exudes this calmness, even when it's all so frenetic. It's just, I trust her, and she'll do it.”
Collier's skill is something Plymouth’s Ishabor Makvandi also adores.
“She should have been MVP last year,” he said. Dressed up like Olivia Miles, his loyalty lies with both of the stars.
He thought this year’s starting lineup was “stacked” even without Collier. But having her skill on the bench was a real gift, not only for her playing.
“She is like the epitome of like a role model for this state, in my opinion. She’s very social conscious,” he said. “We're pretty excited to have her receive our welcome, whatnot. It's like she is the Lynx.”
Lynx Coach Cheryl Reeve was happy Collier received such a warm welcome.
“This is home for Phee, and this is what she deserved. She worked long and hard to get back, and she pours into this team,” Reeve said. “It was the welcome back that I hoped it would be from our fans.”
Queen Phee soaked in her return.
“It was everything that I've been dreaming of since you know when I picture coming back,” she said after the game. “We say for a reason that we have the best fans in the league, just the way that they support us, how loud they are, the way they show up, and so of course they didn’t disappoint tonight.”
Olivia Miles scores 24 points as Lynx extend win streak to 8 with 100-93 victory over Tempo
Rookie Olivia Miles scored 24 points and the Minnesota Lynx extended their winning streak to eight games with a 100-93 victory over the Toronto Tempo on Tuesday night.
Miles shot 9 for 17 with four 3-pointers for Minnesota (23-6), which owns the best record in the WNBA. She added eight assists and six rebounds.
Kayla McBride scored 18 with four 3-pointers for the Lynx, who were 14 for 25 (56 percent) from distance. Napheesa Collier had 15 points and Natasha Howard scored 13. Reserve Antonia Delaere scored 12 on 4-for-5 shooting from distance.
Marina Mabrey had 25 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Toronto (10-17), which has lost four straight and eight of its last nine. Maria Conde finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Laura Juskaite scored 18.
Miles made a layup to give the Lynx an 89-75 lead with 6:32 left to play. Juskaite and Kia Nurse hit back-to-back 3-pointers to end a 12-0 run and cut the deficit to two over the next 2:22. Delaere answered with two straight 3-pointers to increase the lead to 95-87 as Minnesota recovered.
Miles had 15 points by halftime, McBride scored 13 and the Lynx took a 53-43 lead into the break after trailing 28-25 to start the second quarter.
The teams square off again on Thursday in Toronto.
