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Lynx Coach Cheryl Reeve Brushes Off Napheesa Collier's WNBA MVP Award Loss

Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve brushed off Napheesa Collier's disappointing second place finish in the WNBA MVP voting

Will Despart

Sep 14, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) looks on against the Golden State Valkyries in the second half during game one of round one for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Sep 14, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) looks on against the Golden State Valkyries in the second half during game one of round one for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Sunday morning’s WNBA MVP announcement didn’t go the way the Minnesota Lynx organization or its fans would have hoped for, as Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson took home the award for the fourth time in her career in a relatively decisive manner over Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier, who was considered a shoo-in to win it for the majority of the season. 

While Collier has been adamant that the primary focus for herself and her Lynx is making a run in the playoffs and winning what would be a WNBA record fifth title for the franchise, her teammates and coach Cheryl Reeve have shamelessly stumped for her in press conferences and livestreams throughout the season.

When the announcement was revealed on Sunday morning, hours before the Lynx were set to tip off their WNBA semifinal series against the Phoenix Mercury, you already knew that Reeve would have something to say about the league’s media failing to select the player she believed was the only option to win the award. 

Reeve’s response to Collier’s snub was short and sweet, and also included a nod to Alanna Smith, who was named the WNBA’s co-Defensive Player of the Year in another voting outcome that the organization felt short-changed a singularly award-winning effort from Smith this season.

“Voters, you know, just like Defensive Player of the Year, voters did what they did and were focused on game one.”

Colliers Campaign

Although Collier lost the scoring title to Wilson in the final weeks of the regular season, she was the more efficient player offensively, becoming just the second player in league history, alongside Elena Delle Donne, to register a 50/40/90 season. 

Collier finished second in scoring with 23.9 points per game, while also recording an average of 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists. She led the Lynx to a WNBA regular season record 34 wins and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs after a red-hot 9-0 start to the season. Unlike the New York Liberty, however, who also started 9-0, Collier and the Lynx were able to maintain their pace.

While she didn’t get an MVP ceremony on Sunday, Collier and the Lynx did get a big Game 1 win after trailing by seven points at halftime. The Lynx are now an unbeaten 3-0 this postseason, with Game 2 against the Phoenix Mercury scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST/4:30 p.m. PST at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Tuesday.

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Will Despart
WILL DESPART

Will Despart is a Las Vegas-based sportswriter who covers the NBA for OnSI. He also writes for Ballislife and handles multiple beats for The Sporting Tribune, including the Las Vegas Aces and Las Vegas Raiders. His reporting has been featured in newspapers across the country through the Field Level Media news wire.

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