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Napheesa Collier will be sidelined for four to six months after doctors determined that she needs to undergo surgery on both ankles, Unrivaled announced Thursday. Collier, who co-founded Unrivaled alongside Breanna Stewart, will not play in the 3-on-3 league's second season. She could also miss the start of the 2026 WNBA season depending on how her rehab goes and when (or if) the WNBA returns to the court this spring. 

Per ESPN, Collier will have surgery in New York during the first week of January. 

"I am heartbroken to share that I will miss this Unrivaled season. I have fought hard over the last few months to be back with my Owls and was devastated to be told by my team of doctors that surgery was the best path forward," Collier, who plays for the Lunar Owls BC in Unrivaled, said in a statement on Instagram. "I will still be cheering on my teammates every step of the way, and I will continue to work relentlessly with the rest of the players and our staff to push our sport forward and raise the bar for women's basketball."

How was Collier injured?

Collier dealt with significant ankle problems during the 2025 WNBA season, which ended in disastrous fashion for both her and the Minnesota Lynx. 

On Aug. 2, late in the third quarter of the Lynx's blowout win over the Las Vegas Aces, Collier sprained her right ankle on a fastbreak with the team leading by 43 points. She would miss the next three weeks and played in just seven of the Lynx's final 15 games. At the time of the injury, Collier was far and away the MVP favorite, but her long-term absence contributed to her falling short in the MVP voting to Aces star A'ja Wilson, who won the award for the fourth time. 

With less than a minute to play in Game 3 of the Lynx's semifinal playoff series against the Phoenix Mercury, Collier tore three ligaments in her left ankle and a muscle in her left shin during a controversial collision with Alyssa Thomas. The Lynx, who went 34-10 to tie the single-season wins record and were the favorites to win the title, were eliminated in Game 4 while Collier watched from the sideline. 

During her Unrivaled media day session on Dec. 16, Collier told reporters that she would not need surgery for her ankle issues, but was "still working to get back to 100%." Eventually, doctors determined that rehab would not be enough, and she will now go the surgical route. In retrospect, it may have been better for her to get the procedures shortly after the 2025 WNBA season came to a close in October. 

What does Collier's absence mean for Unrivaled?

Collier was named MVP of Unrivaled's inaugural season in 2025, and her absence will be a major blow to the upstart league, which tips off its second season on Jan. 5. 

While Unrivaled enjoyed a successful inaugural season, the league has been unable to attract or retain some of the top stars in the sport. Notably, both Caitlin Clark and A'ja Wilson have declined to participate at all, while Angel Reese, Sabrina Ionescu and Jewell Loyd, all of whom played last season, chose not to return. 

Without Collier, the league will have even less star power this season. It will also no longer be able to rely on the newness factor to drive interest. 

For the Lunar Owls, specifically, losing Collier ensures that they won't dominate the regular season like they did in 2025, when they went 13-1. Collier will be replaced by veteran center Temi Fágbénlé, who signed a multi-year contract with Unrivaled to play alongside Aaliyah Edwards, Rebecca Allen, Skylar Diggins, Marina Mabrey and Rachel Banham.  

What does Collier's injury mean for her WNBA free agency?

Collier is a WNBA free agent, along with nearly every other veteran, but is widely expected to return to the Lynx, who drafted her No. 6 overall in 2019, whenever the WNBA and the Women's National Basketball Players Association come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement. 

Collier is also a vice president in the WNBPA and has been at the forefront of the negotiations. If the two sides are able to get a deal done -- the new CBA deadline is Jan. 9, though it has already been pushed back twice and could be extended again -- and the 2026 WNBA season starts on time in mid-May, Collier could miss the beginning of the campaign. Her four-to-six-month timeline is very broad, though, and it's possible she could be back in time for opening night. 

Even though the 29-year-old Collier may miss some time in 2026, she should not lose any money due to her injuries. She has finished as the runner-up in MVP voting in each of the last two seasons, was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2024 and has made three consecutive All-WNBA First Team appearances. 

Collier should remain one of the league's best players for years to come, and the only real question for her this winter is how much the max contract she's eventually offered will be worth.