Printable Page
01/01 17:24 CST Napheesa Collier will have surgery on both ankles and be
sidelined for four to six months
Napheesa Collier will have surgery on both ankles and be sidelined for four to
six months
MIAMI (AP) --- Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier will have surgery on both
ankles and is expected to be sidelined four to six months, including the
upcoming Unrivaled season, the 3-on-3 women's basketball league announced
Thursday.
Collier had been rehabbing ankle injuries suffered during the WNBA season but
said last month that she was working back to full strength so she could be
available for Unrivaled's second season, which begins Monday.
"I am heartbroken to share that I will miss this Unrivaled season," Collier
said in a statement on Instagram. "I have fought hard over the last few months
to be back with my (Lunar) Owls and was devastated to be told by my team of
doctors that surgery was the best path forward."
The 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year suffered a sprained right ankle
during an August game against the Las Vegas Aces and missed several weeks. She
then hurt her left ankle in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals against the Phoenix
Mercury.
Unrivaled, which Collier co-founded with fellow WNBA star Breanna Stewart, said
a "joint team of medical staff" determined that surgery on both ankles would be
needed for Collier, named the 3-on-3 league's MVP last season.
"I will still be cheering on my teammates every step of the way," Collier said
in the statement, "and I will continue to work relentlessly to push our sport
forward and raise the bar for women's basketball. I will be back at full
strength as soon as possible and ready to continue where I left off."
Temi Fgbnl will take Collier's spot on the Lunar Owls for the 2026 season.
___
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
|
