Napheesa Collier Could Be The Next Minnesota Lynx Player To Have Jersey Retired

Collier has been in MVP conversations for the majority of her illustrious career

After the Minnesota Lynx retiried Maya Moore’s jersey number in August, they now have the most retired jerseys in the WNBA. However, she might not be the last to have a jersey put in their rafters.

Lynx forward Napheesa Collier put together an amazing season to lead them to the playoffs for the second consecutive time. She logged in 20.4 points per game, along with career-high averages of 9.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.4 blocks.

But this isn’t just a career spark for Collier.

As soon as Minnesota selected Collier in the 2019 draft, her career took off. During her rookie campaign, she averaged 13.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.9 steals while playing a league-high 33.3 minutes a game. She even finished the season with a total of 444 points, 223 rebounds, and 65 steals, becoming the second rookie in WNBA history to record 400 plus points, 200 plus rebounds, and 60 plus steals. To go along with an All-Star selection, she earned the Rookie of the Year award, beating out Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale.

The remainder of Collier’s career was imposing. Throughout the following five years, she averaged a combined 18.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks. She made three more All-Star teams, two All-Defensive Teams and two All-WNBA teams.

However, her best season was in 2023. During that year, she averaged a career-high 21.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks. She had 11 double-doubles and five 30-point games, including a career-high 35 points against the Atlanta Dream. Even though she didn’t win any major awards, she made the All-WNBA First Team and All-Defensive Second Team. She even finished fourth in voting for both the Most Valuable Player and Most Improved Player awards.

Considering Collier is still at the peak of her career, her case for a jersey retirement could continue to get stronger.

Cory Nelson is a contributor to Fansided’s Wiz of Awes. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson, Instagram @ckenzynelson, and Threads @ckenzynelson