Napheesa Collier Reportedly Has Ankle Ligament, Muscle Tears After WNBA Playoff Injury

Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier suffered "a Grade 2 tear of three ligaments in her left ankle and a muscle in her shin" in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.

Had the Lynx advanced, Collier would've been unable to play in the WNBA Finals.

The injury occurred inside the final minute of Minnesota's 84-76 loss to the Phoenix Mercury. Mercury star Alyssa Thomas stole the ball from Collier, whose left ankle bent awkwardly as the two players made contact.

Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve was visibly upset with the lack of a foul call. She confronted the referee and had to be held back by players and staffers.

Many around the league have called attention to the state of officiating in the WNBA. For Minnesota, the frustration from last year's WNBA Finals loss to the New York Liberty continues to linger.

After Game 3, Reeve lobbied for significant improvements.

"If this is what the league wants, OK, but I want to call for a change of leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating," she told reporters. "The officiating crew that we had tonight, for the leadership to deem those three people semifinal-playoff worthy, it's f--king malpractice."

This was an issue Collier raised in her statement to reporters Tuesday during her exit interview as well.

The five-time All-Star referenced "constant concerns about officiating and it has now reached levels of inconsistency that plague our sport and undermine the integrity in which it operates." She argued the WNBA is guilty of "self-sabotage" by not addressing the situation in a meaningful way.

Collier went on to detail a conversation she purportedly had with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert this past February in which Engelbert said that "only the losers complain about the refs."

Between Collier's injury and the semifinal exit, the 2025 season came to a bitterly disappointing end for the top-seeded Lynx.

For the veteran forward, her injury shouldn't jeopardize her availability for Unrivaled's second year. The schedule will tip off in January, which is well past the six weeks Shelburne said Collier will need for her recovery.