Napheesa Collier Downplays MVP Buzz, Sets Tone for Lynx

As the WNBA tipped off its 2025 season, the spotlight may have been fixed on flashy debuts and new market stars, but in Minnesota, business remains personal—and Napheesa Collier is making sure of it.

Coming off a Finals loss to the New York Liberty, a Defensive Player of the Year award, and a gold medal with Team USA, Collier enters 2025 with one priority: finishing what the Lynx started.

“Individual accolades aren’t my goal; the team stuff is my goal,” Collier said. “If the team’s not doing well, you’re not going to get those individual accolades anyway. If you’re so selfish, you’re not going to get it. You’re playing for your team and helping your team win.”

Her mindset is emblematic of a franchise rooted in legacy, accountability, and sustained excellence—and Collier, the centerpiece of the Lynx, is embracing every aspect of that identity.

Napheesa Collier Makes Dominant Start to 2025

Collier’s season opener spoke volumes. She scored 34 points—tying the franchise record for most in a season debut—while adding six rebounds and four assists in a 99–84 road win over the Dallas Wings. She delivered 18 of those points in the third quarter alone, turning a one-point contest into a rout with the kind of controlled, two-way dominance few players in the league can match.

“She was aggressive,” head coach Cheryl Reeve said. “We had talked before the game about recognizing the places where Fee needs the ball—and we were persistent in getting her there.”

Collier’s third-quarter outburst sparked a 13–1 run that broke the game open, as she and teammate Courtney Williams combined for 33 of the team’s 35 points in the frame. It was the kind of clinical takeover that defined Collier’s 2024 campaign and will likely fuel her MVP candidacy this season.

“I’m honestly focused on more than MVP,” Collier reiterated postgame. “I want us to win a championship this year, so that’s what I’m focused on. The awards come after that.”

Collier enters the 2025 season as the consensus favorite for the WNBA MVP award, topping the league’s annual GM survey over A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark. According to the annual WNBA general manager survey, over 50% of GMs voted for Collier as their predicted MVP, citing her two-way excellence and rising leadership.

Minnesota Lynx Core Stability and Season Outlook

The Lynx finished with a 30–10 record in 2024, led the league in defensive rating, and fell just short in the WNBA Finals. For Reeve, who has coached Minnesota to four championships, the message entering training camp was clear: that heartbreak must fuel what comes next.

“The joy of winning a championship is because it’s so hard to get there,” Reeve said. “That’s also why the heartache is so great, and the depths of that are so low, is because of the investment and how hard it is to get there.”

Reeve has always coached with high standards, but with a mature core built around Collier, Kayla McBride, Courtney Williams, Bridget Carleton, and Alanna Smith, the 2025 campaign is less about building and more about executing.

The team’s elite defense, home dominance (17–3 at Target Center in 2024), and continuity are key reasons why 60% of WNBA general managers picked the Lynx to win this year’s championship.

Minnesota’s roster continuity may prove to be its greatest advantage. All five starters from the Finals return, and the team’s only notable offseason roster move was waiving Grace Berger before opening night. Key pieces like Williams and Smith provide toughness, while McBride remains one of the league’s top catch-and-shoot threats. Jessica Shepard’s interior presence and Diamond Miller’s versatile skill-set round out one of the most balanced rosters in the WNBA.

Collier and the Lynx Eye 2025 WNBA Championship

Minnesota ranked top-three in net rating (+8.0), scoring differential (+6.4), and effective field goal percentage (51.8%) last season, and those trends appear poised to continue.

As Courtney Williams said after the season opener: “It’s her year, man. It is her year to go get it.”

But if you ask Collier, “her year” only means one thing: a title.

From her tone at media day to her actions on opening night, Collier’s approach hasn’t changed. She’s focused, grounded, and relentless—a leader whose presence signals Minnesota is not just back, but potentially better.

If 2024 was a prelude, 2025 is the pursuit. And for Napheesa Collier, the only outcome worth celebrating is the one that comes in October—with a championship trophy in hand.

A Continually Growing Brand

Just ahead of the season opener, Collier announced a major new endorsement deal with Jordan Brand—a move that further cements her as one of the most influential players in women’s basketball.

“I’m super excited. Youth has always been a passion of mine—I’ve always loved working with kids, even before I had one. So being able to do that is amazing,” Collier said. “And then with Jordan Brand, I just think we align so well. Everything they’re about is greatness, and that’s what I aspire to be—when I’m playing, and with the things I’m doing off the court. So I was really, really excited to be able to sign with them.”

She celebrated the announcement with a “Jordan gang” post on social media, signaling her place in the lineage of elite athletes tied to the brand.

With Olympic gold, a Finals appearance, and now Jordan Brand backing her, Collier’s profile has never been higher.