Cheryl Reeve Addresses Napheesa Collier Losing WNBA MVP Award Race
On September 21, news broke that Las Vegas Aces superstar A'ja Wilson won the 2025 WNBA MVP award, marking the second consecutive season in which Wilson is the league MVP and the fourth time in her iconic career.
Many thought that it was going to be a close race between Wilson and Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, given that Collier was undoubtedly the league's best player for the first half of the season before Wilson and the Aces dominated after the WNBA All-Star break.
But the ultimately tally wasn't close, as Wilson received 51 of 72 first place votes. Collier got 18 first-place votes while Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas got three first-place bids. In terms of total points, Wilson had 657, Collier had 534, and Thomas had 391.
Collier's biggest champion for winning the award was her head coach, Cheryl Reeve, who made her star player's case when speaking with the media earlier this month, saying, "[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.
"So Napheesa Collier has been the best player in the WNBA. She deserves MVP," Reeve said, per an X post from Andrew Dukowitz.
Cheryl Reeve on Napheesa Colliers 50/40/90 season
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) September 12, 2025
“Well, it can be revealed now that it was a goal of ours when we sat down with Phee, knowing it would be a lofty goal, it had only been done once before… Napheesa collier has been the best player in the WNBA this season and… pic.twitter.com/gN0dZtmAoy
Cheryl Reeve Speaks on Napheesa Collier Not Winning WNBA MVP
Reeve spoke with the media before her team's first WNBA Semifinals game on September 21. And at one point, she was asked about Collier finishing second in the league MVP race.
“Voters, just like [with WNBA] Defensive Player of the Year, voters did what they did. And we're focused on game one," Reeve said, per an X post from Dukowitz.
Cheryl Reeve on Napheesa Collier finishing second on MVP voting
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) September 21, 2025
“Voters, just like defensive player of the year, voters did what they did and were focused on game one” pic.twitter.com/0Lo4A0DR52
Clearly, the outcome of the league MVP race isn't Reeve's focus right now, as she's trying to prepare her team to produce a victory over the Mercury on Sunday.
However, one would imagine that Reeve will get more candid when speaking about Collier not getting her first WNBA MVP award in the days and weeks to come, especially if the Lynx can advance to the WNBA Finals and perhaps secure the franchise's fifth league championship this season.
While she didn't win, Collier still deserves a ton of credit for producing a historic season. She'd be the best women's basketball player in the world if not for A'ja Wilson.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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