The Lynx have recently lost more games when Napheesa Collier isn’t playing—dropping their most recent two games and moving to a 4-1 record in the stretch without her. It’s the kind of stat line that you look past. And still, “her game is not loud” is what she’s been described as while being an irreplaceable piece of the Lynx. Over her first few years in the league, she climbed from very good to excellent, but it felt like hardly anyone noticed– except for her coach Cheryl Reeves who had been questioning it since day one. 

“Why is Napheesa Collier not recognized as one of the best players in the WNBA?”  But then came 2024— a seismic year for women’s basketball. And those who tuned in finally witnessed the very best of Collier: a career season that ended with her as MVP runner-up and a Defensive Player of the Year honor. This year, too, history seems to be teasing the promise of something better. But let’s not forget the sidelining ankle injury against the Aces that could leave her watching someone else hoist the MVP trophy, yet again. 

But that does bother her? When Sue Bird asked the same question on the August 22 video of her channel, Collier finally opened up: “It sucks. I wish I wasn’t in this position, but maybe it’s good my body needed this rest. I really believe everything happens for a reason,” Still Bird emphasized that Collier being out with an injury could open the door for other people to just come and take it from her. Doesn’t that bother her? Well, while answering, Napheesa Collier looked as calm as she did while winning the 2019 Rookie of the Year.

Again, I think everything happens for a reason. I’ve done all that I can. I have no control over how other people play or the pushes that are made with what people are thinking… And I’m definitely not going to rush myself back so that I can play just for that reason. My goals are so much bigger than MVP. I want to win a team championship with my team, and so to do that, I’m not going to risk that short-term goal so that I can not be ready for playoffs.”

And really, that’s the point. After holding the top seed most of the season, Team Minnesota is chasing nothing less than a title. For Collier, it’s about the ring, not the résumé… and the hope in Minnesota is that this year won’t end like that unforgettable run when she carried the Lynx to the WNBA Finals, scored a record 285 postseason points, and still fell heartbreakingly short in Game 5. Now the championship dream might still be well within Minnesota’s grasp. But when it comes to the MVP chase, there’s still someone else running past her while she’s on the sideline.

A’ja Wilson is Making the MVP a Vegas Heist

If there’s one player making the MVP race look like a close one, it’s A’ja Wilson. Her Las Vegas Aces are on an incredible roll. They extended their winning streak to a franchise-record 10 games after a 91-81 win over the Washington Mystics; the longest streak since the team moved to Vegas in 2017, and also the league’s longest run since 2021. The night didn’t start easily for them, though.

The Mystics built an early 15-point lead and were ahead 26-19 after the first quarter. But A’ja Wilson took over, scoring 11 points in the second quarter to completely flip the script by halftime. Then, when Washington tried to creep back within seven points in the third, she buried their hopes with another burst of 10 points. Her final stat line was what is pure MVP material: 36 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals.

The game itself was history-making too, as Wilson tied Diana Taurasi for the most 35-plus-point games in WNBA history with 14. She also became the only player in league history to have multiple seasons with 10 or more 30-point games. It is, in fact, a feat that even legends like Taurasi, Candace Parker, and Sue Bird never accomplished. According to Across the Timeline, this was her ninth game this season with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds. The rest of the entire league combined has only four such games, and no other player (including Napheesa Collier) has more than one.

Statistically, Wilson is breathing down Napheesa Collier’s neck, averaging 23.2 points per game to Collier’s 23.5, while also leading the league in rebounds at 10.2 per game. If she overtakes Collier in scoring, it’s hard to argue against the idea that the MVP trophy could be hers to lose…