Napheesa Collier to miss 4-6 months after ankle surgery

Napheesa Collier will undergo ankle surgery that will sideline her for four to six months, forcing the WNBA star to miss the upcoming season of Unrivaled, the league announced Thursday.

The procedures are scheduled for the first week of January and will be performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley in New York City, according to sources.

Collier sustained the injuries during the WNBA season while playing for the Minnesota Lynx. On Aug. 2, she sprained her right ankle in a game against the Las Vegas Aces, forcing her to miss three weeks. At the time, she was considered the frontrunner for the league’s MVP award but ultimately finished second to Aces forward A’ja Wilson for the second consecutive year.

In September, Collier suffered a more serious injury when she tore three ligaments in her left ankle during Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals against the Phoenix Mercury. The top-seeded Lynx went on to lose the series in four games.

Collier had previously expressed confidence that she would return in time for the start of Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 league she co-founded with Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty. The league is set to begin its second season on Monday.

During a virtual news conference on Dec. 16, Collier said she did not initially believe surgery would be necessary and that she was working toward being fully healthy by January.

However, after further evaluation by a joint medical staff in Miami and Minneapolis, doctors determined that her recovery had not progressed as expected and recommended surgery as the best course of treatment.

“I am heartbroken to share that I will miss this Unrivaled season,” Collier wrote 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.”