History was made in Minneapolis as Napheesa Collier etched her name into the WNBA record books, becoming only the second player in league history to finish a regular season with the elusive 50/40/90 shooting split. On September 11, 2025, Collier’s Minnesota Lynx wrapped up their remarkable campaign with a resounding 72-53 victory over the Golden State Valkyries—a win that not only capped the league’s best regular-season record but also secured the Lynx the coveted number one seed heading into the playoffs.
Collier’s path to this historic feat wasn’t without its hurdles. The Lynx star missed seven games due to an ankle injury suffered in early August, a setback that threatened to derail both her personal ambitions and Minnesota’s championship hopes. Yet, Collier returned with typical grit, demonstrating why she’s regarded as one of the league’s most relentless competitors. She closed out the season shooting 53.1% from the field, 40.3% from beyond the arc, and an icy 90.6% from the free-throw line, all while averaging an eye-popping 22.9 points per game. No WNBA player had ever achieved a 50/40/90 season while averaging over 20 points—until now.
“It’s only been done once before and that player was the MVP. Phee deserves that recognition. The numbers don’t lie. She did it from start to finish, 50/40/90 is historic. I don’t know how long it will be before it happens again. Napheesa Collier has been the best player in the WNBA. She deserves MVP,” declared Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve after the regular-season finale, her pride unmistakable. Reeve’s endorsement isn’t just coach-speak—it’s a call to the league’s MVP voters to recognize Collier’s unprecedented season.
Collier’s accomplishment places her alongside Elena Delle Donne, who first joined the 50/40/90 club in 2019 and was subsequently named league MVP. The parallels are impossible to ignore, and Reeve was quick to remind everyone of the precedent: “It’s only been done once before, and that player was the MVP. Phee deserves that same recognition.”
But there’s more to Collier’s story than just numbers. Her relentless pursuit of improvement and her awareness of the stakes were evident as the season wound down. “I’m a goal-oriented person,” Collier admitted, reflecting on her journey. She knew exactly how many three-pointers she needed in the final game to push her average over the 40% threshold. Going 3-for-4 from deep against the Valkyries, she delivered under pressure and ticked off a milestone she and her coach had quietly targeted since preseason.
“Well, it can be revealed now, but it was a goal of ours when we sat down with ‘Phee [Napheesa Collier],” Reeve told reporters. “Knowing that it would be a lofty goal. It had only been done once before and that player was MVP of the league. ‘Phee deserves that same recognition. And the numbers don’t lie. And I think that’s something that voters should look at.”
The 2025 MVP race, however, is anything but a coronation. Collier’s chief rival is none other than reigning MVP A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces. Wilson, a three-time MVP herself, has fueled the Aces to a 16-game winning streak to close out the regular season, making it a two-woman race for the league’s top individual honor. Collier, who finished second to Wilson in the MVP voting last year and fourth in 2023, was the odds-on favorite for much of the season before her ankle injury. Since her return, she’s shown no signs of slowing down, but Wilson’s late-season surge has tightened the contest considerably.
Teammates and coaches alike have rallied behind Collier’s MVP credentials. Natisha Hiedeman, Collier’s Lynx teammate, offered her own emphatic endorsement: “She’s the GOAT. Without her, we are not the Minnesota Lynx.” It’s a sentiment echoed by the Lynx faithful, who have watched Collier transform from an All-Star into a once-in-a-generation talent.
Collier’s resume is as complete as they come. In addition to her 50/40/90 season, she was named the WNBA All-Star MVP and is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Her all-around brilliance has elevated the Lynx to new heights, and their dominance this season is no coincidence. Minnesota swept the Valkyries 4-0 in the regular season and now faces them again in the opening round of the playoffs—a matchup that offers Collier and her teammates a chance to exorcise the ghosts of last year’s heartbreaking Finals loss to the New York Liberty.
“We are a better team than [last year],” Collier said, reflecting on the Lynx’s growth. “We have that year of experience, and experience always makes better teams, better players. We know what it takes to get there. We got there to the very last possible game of the season last year. We know what it takes. So I think that experience did make us better, it made us hungrier, and it’s something we are thinking about going into the playoffs this year.”
The 50/40/90 club is an exclusive one in basketball, a measure of offensive efficiency and skill that’s been achieved by only a handful of NBA players—legends like Larry Bird, Steve Nash, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry. For Collier to join that pantheon, and to do so while carrying her team to the league’s best record, is nothing short of extraordinary.
Yet, the debate rages on. Will Collier’s historic season be enough to sway MVP voters, or will Wilson’s late surge and the Aces’ winning streak tip the scales? “It’s done from start to finish. 50/40/90 is historic. I don’t know how long it will be before it happens again,” Reeve reiterated, making her case one last time.
As the Lynx prepare for their playoff rematch with the Valkyries, the focus is squarely on the team’s championship aspirations. But for Collier, the individual accolades—while meaningful—are secondary to the ultimate prize. The MVP race may be too close to call, but one thing’s clear: Collier’s 2025 season will be remembered as one of the greatest in WNBA history, no matter how the votes fall.
With the postseason set to begin, all eyes are on Minneapolis. Can Collier and the Lynx complete their storybook season with a championship—and perhaps an MVP trophy to boot? The stage is set, and the basketball world waits in anticipation.
