One of the most anticipated WNBA returns happened on Wednesday, and trust us, Napheesa Collier did not dissapoint…
Today’s Lineup
🐺 Welcome Back, ‘Phee!
League-best Lynx get their 4x All-WNBA star back from ankle injuries.
⭐️ WNBA All-Star Weekend
Getting you locked in for Chicago shenanigans.
📝 Last Minute FA Signings
Sorry Enjoyers, no LeBron news yet…
🎉 Happy birthday Rick Fox, Rafer “Skip 2 My Lou” Alston, Joe Barry Carroll, Kyle Kuzma and Cam Christie! 🎉
What’s Good in the W?
🐺 Napheesa Collier returns on minutes restriction to help the Lynx power through the Storm (86-76).
Twenty-two minutes was all ‘Phee needed to make an impact in her return.
With 24 PTS and 10 REB in her first action since September 27, Napheesa Collier is back to putting the league on notice.
After a long and arduous road to recovery, Collier’s return came against a Seattle Storm eager to play spoiler.
Following a tightly contested game for the first half, Minnesota pulled ahead and built a double digit lead in the third quarter. Seattle would not go out quietly, cutting the deficit to one with 1:42 left. However, with a short fade-away, and free throws from Collier to close out the night, the Lynx were victorious in Queen ‘Phee’s return. The Lynx extended their WNBA-best winning streak to seven games.
Although wins have been hard to come by for the 6-23 Storm, their young core of All-Star Dominique Malonga (20), the electric Flau'jae Johnson (22), and Spanish sensation Awa Fam (20) have shown plenty of promise on both sides of the floor. Surely, this trio will be a joy to see for the foreseeable future.
For Collier, her return was nothing short of a great success. Her 22 minutes were the fewest ever for a 20 PTS/10 REB game in Lynx history. Not bad for a season debut!
While we can expect a minutes-restriction for Collier while she manages her recovery, it may be Joever for the rest of the W. Minnesota went a league’s best 21-6 in her absence, and now get to add a former DPOY and MVP-runner up to their army of stars.
Collier will be joining a star studded roster led by the WNBA’s winningest coach, Cheryl Reeve, and All-Stars Natasha Howard, Courtney Williams, and rookie sensation Olivia Miles. It may be looking like the Lynx collected their final Infinity Stone.
After the All-Star break, the Lynx will host the Tempo at the Target Center on July 28th.
Other noteworthy performances:
Down by eight points with 56 seconds remaining, Sabrina Ionescu’s magic (29 PTS, 8/11 FG, 5/7 3PT) proved to be too much as the New York Liberty snuck past Sydney Taylor (31 PTS) and the Chicago Sky (95-94).
Shakira Austin scored 11 of her 25 PTS in the forth quarter as the Mystics came back to upset A’ja Wilson (38 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST, 3 STL, 2 BLK) and the Aces (100-99). Wilson, Jackie Young (24 PTS), and Chelsea Gray (19 PTS) combined for 82% of the Aces’ points.
After going for 45 points last Friday, Caitlin Clark heads into the All-Star break on another heater, going for 27 PTS (8/13 FG, 5/9 3PT) and 11 AST as Fever blew out the struggling Sun (123-88). Kelsey Mitchell extends her 20-pt game streak to 11 games! 🔥
Jessica Shepard on triple-double alert (18 PTS, 15 REB, 10 AST) as the Dallas Wings settle the Portland Fire (101-97).
Alyssa Thomas (19 PTS, 11 REB, 15 AST) pushes her WNBA-record for career regular season triple-doubles to 20, as the Mercury edge out the Sparks (86-82).
🏀 🏀 🏀
⭐️ WNBA All-Star Weekend:
The festivities in Chicago began with the Orange Carpet last night and continue tonight with the Kia Shooting Stars and State Farm 3-Point Contests!
State Farm 3-Point Contest Participants:
🇨🇦 Bridget Carleton, Portland Fire (37.4% on 6.9 attempts per game)
Azzi Fudd, Dallas Wings (38.7% on 5.3 attempts per game)
Natisha Hiedeman, Seattle Storm (34.3% on 5.8 attempts per game)
Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream (35.4% on 8.9 attempts per game)
Marina Mabrey, Toronto Tempo (39.2% on 8.4 attempts per game)
🇫🇷 Janelle Salaün, Golden State Valkyries (39.4% on 6.3 attempts per game)
Who takes home the 3PT Contest Crown?
Saturday, July 25 - The All-Star Game
Lock in, Enjoyers. On Saturday, we’ll get a look at the WNBA's best as Team Coop led by Paige Bueckers takes on Team Spoon led by Caitlin Clark.
🧠 Daily Trivia 🧠
Where did Napheesa Collier go to college?
Around the Association
While we’ve pretty much made it through the long journey of free agency, let’s take a look at some of the last-minute moves around the league.
Jordan Walsh re-signs with the Boston Celtics on a 3-year, $15 million extension.
Defensive-stopper Matisse Thybulle signs to the Los Angeles Lakers on a 1-year, $3.29 million deal. Lakers are now sitting at a 16 standard contracts on the roster entering training camp.
Jett Howard inks a two-way deal with the Dallas Mavericks. Dusty May adds another Michigan alum.
Summer League Standouts:
Jalen Slawson (20.8 PTS, 6.4 REB, 3.2 BLK) signs a two-way deal with the Indiana Pacers.
Arthur Kaluma (17.3 PTS) signs a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Isaiah Crawford (15.2 PTS, 6.6 REB, 1.8 BLK) signs a 2-year, 5.1 million contract with the Houston Rockets.
David Jones-Garcia (21.6 PTS, 6.2 REB, 53% 3PT in 2025 Summer League) inks a two-way deal with the San Antonio Spurs. Jones-Garcia is still rehabbing a major ankle injury from February of last season.
Jalen Wilson (2024 Summer League MVP) signs a two-way deal with the Atlanta Hawks.
There’s still a number of free agents remaining (including LeBron James), check out Wednesday’s Newsletter for a look at the best remaining FA’s.
Three in the Key
🎮 Wemby2K, CC2K, and Pooh2K
Check out NBA 2K27’s newest cover athletes!
🔥 Heart over Height
Meet the 5’11” guard who took over Peach Jam!
🇬🇷 Hellas Heat
Giannis and Davion Mitchell are already building some team chemistry in Greece!
What We’re Enjoying
Enjoyers are locked into every facet of the game, and with the WNBA season in full swing, it’s time we bring you even more women’s basketball content.
Say no more, as we’re officially launching Enjoy Her Game, a new hub for exclusive coverage and stories surrounding women’s sports, with a focus on basketball.
Check us out ⬇️
Signing Off
Thanks for tapping in for another Friday with us. We appreciate everyone who’s been reading newsletters, and we’ll catch up again on Monday!
In the meantime, let’s all collect a small victory this weekend. Let’s enter next week on a hot streak, and keep the momentum going.
