Imagine putting together a 34-10 regular-season record, leading your team into the playoffs as the top seed, and posting jaw-dropping numbers: 22.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game, while shooting an efficient 53.1% from the field. That’s the kind of season Napheesa Collier delivered for the Minnesota Lynx. She was, by all accounts, the best player on the best team in the league. Yet, when the MVP award was announced, it wasn’t her name that was called—it was A’ja Wilson, for the second year in a row.

But she is not letting that affect her…..

When asked how she felt about losing out on the MVP for a second straight year to the same player, Collier kept it simple: “The team is way bigger than me. Whatever my personal goals are I’m here for the team and right now we’re focused on a championship so it was easy not to think about that.” 

For Phee, the championship matters far more than the MVP–a sentiment she has repeated countless times this season. Even last year, when Minnesota looked poised to capture its first WNBA title since 2017, fate intervened: as Reeve put it, the victory “was stolen.” But Collier? She looked ahead and didn’t let the setback linger. She took a short break, then returned to training for the inaugural season of Unrivaled. 

That mindset can be traced back to Phee’s father, Gamal Collier, who always told her, “You have an obligation to make your own stamp in the world.” True to that lesson, Collier has explained that she lives by the mantra “Anyway Na Way,” a Sierra Leonean Krio phrase meaning to never give up. That approach has proven effective before. As a freshman at Connecticut, she played a key role in helping Geno Auriemma secure his 11th of 12 national titles.

Now, she is looking forward to steering the Lynx to their fifth championship. Minnesota kicked off its WNBA semifinals series against the Mercury with a solid 82-69 victory on Sunday. Collier led the charge, contributing 18 points and grabbing nine rebounds to set the tone for the series. The Lynx are now just 2 wins away from playing another final.

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So, doubling down on where her focus lies, Collier also said, “Obviously, it would be cool to get MVP. But I think just as a whole, I’m really focused on a championship and making our run for the playoffs. (Right now) I think it’s just about fine-tuning. Making sure that we feel good about our offense and our defense going into the playoffs. Earning the No. 1 seed this early is a good position to be in, because it lets us try some different lineups and other things we may want to try.”

Although Collier could understandably feel disappointed, receiving only 18 first-place MVP votes compared to A’ja Wilson’s 51, and marking her third consecutive year in the top five (she was fourth in 2023), her season stands out as historic in its own right. And if you feel she was snubbed, then Geno Auriemma once gave the perfect reason as to why this happens.

“Her game is not loud. Makes it all look like routine. Sometimes people overlook that,” Auriemma had said. That partly explains why Collier slipped to the sixth pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft, despite an exceptional career at Connecticut that included a national championship as a freshman and four straight Final Four appearances.

Thankfully, her coaches have always been on her side. When Collier became just the second WNBA player to record a 50‑40‑90 season, and the first to do so while averaging over 20 points per game, Cheryl Reeve made her stance clear.

“[The 50/40/90 season has] only been done once before, and that player was the MVP. Phee deserves that recognition. And the numbers don’t lie. And I think that’s something voters should look at. It’s done from start to finish. A 50/40/90 is historic. I don’t know how long it will be before it happens again,” Reeve said.

So, naturally, after the results came out, Coach Cheryl Reeve had to weigh in.

Cheryl Reeve Reacts to Napheesa Collier Missing Out on MVP

It’s not like A’ja didn’t deserve the MVP. She averaged 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.6 steals, and 2.3 blocks this season, guiding the Aces to a 30-14 record and the No. 2 playoff seed. Her stellar performances also earned her the Defensive Player of the Year and WNBA scoring title honors, making it a phenomenal season for the Aces center. But that doesn’t mean Lynx fans can’t celebrate Collier’s incredible campaign too.

Coach Cheryl Reeve reacted to the news of A’ja Wilson winning the MVP ahead of the game against the Mercury. “Voters, just like defensive player of the year, voters did what they did and we’re focused on game one.” A controversial statement? Perhaps. But the work for the team doesn’t stop here.

For the Lynx and Napheesa Collier, it’s time to set aside MVP debates and focus on the playoffs. And that’s exactly what they did, dominating the Mercury 82-69 in a statement win. With Alyssa Thomas confident that all three of Phoenix’s big three were fit and ready to make a difference, Minnesota still managed to control the game. Collier led the charge, while Courtney Williams added a game-high 23 points–enough to secure the W for the Lynx.

It will be interesting to see how the season ends for the Lynx. They’re on the right track, but the road ahead won’t be easy. The Mercury have already shown that a Game 1 loss doesn’t faze them–they know how to mount a comeback, just like they did against the defending champions. How do you think this series will finish? Let us know in the comments below!