Napheesa Collier Predicted as WNBA MVP, Lynx Named Title Favorites in GM Survey

One year after finishing second in MVP voting and coming up one win short of leading the Minnesota Lynx to a championship, expectations are sky high for Napheesa Collier entering the 2025 season.

In the annual general manager survey conducted by Michaela Gilmer of WNBA.com, Collier received the most votes to win her first MVP award, and the Lynx finished atop the list of teams predicted to win the WNBA championship.

Collier was named by 67 percent of the respondents as the favorite to win MVP. She finished well ahead of reigning MVP A'ja Wilson (25 percent) and Caitlin Clark (8 percent).

Those three were the only ones who received MVP votes from the general managers.

Four teams received votes to win the 2025 WNBA Finals, led by the Lynx with 60 percent. The others were the defending champion New York Liberty (20 percent), Indiana Fever and Las Vegas Aces (both at 10 percent).

Minnesota and New York played a memorable five-game series in the Finals last season. The Liberty clinched the first title in franchise history with a 67-62 overtime win in Game 5. Four of the five games in the series were decided by five points or less.

Collier finished second to Wilson, who was the unanimous winner, in MVP voting last season. The four-time All-Star averaged 20.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game while earning Defensive Player of the Year honors for the Lynx.

The Lynx will begin their quest to get back to the WNBA Finals on Friday. They tip off the 2025 regular season on the road against No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings.