There might be dark clouds over the 2026 WNBA season, but fans can still enjoy women’s basketball from the new 3-on-3 league – the Unrivaled. The Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart-founded league will start its season 2 from January 5. Even Stephen Curry showed support for Unrivaled Season 2 with special shoes.
While there is hype around the league, players like Satou Sabally will miss the second season 2 due to a concussion. Though there is confirmation about the Mercury forward, one more player under question is the Lynx forward.
Napheesa Collier’s Availability For Unrivaled Season 2
The 29-year-old led the league for most of the 2025 season and was the frontrunner for the MVP award. She suffered a horrific injury during the playoff semifinals. Recently, Collier shared a hopeful update on ankle injury ahead of the Unrivaled season opener.
But as per the latest update, the player will undergo knee surgery, which will force her to sit out for four to six months. This will keep her out of action from the Unrivaled league and could even miss the start of the WNBA 2026 season.
Breaking: Napheesa Collier will undergo surgery on her ankles, sidelining her for four to six months and forcing her to miss the upcoming Unrivaled season, the league announced Thursday. pic.twitter.com/2WG2NY0SxP
— ESPN (@espn) January 1, 2026
In the inaugural season of the Unrivaled league, the former UConn star led her team to 13-1 and lost to Vinyl BC in the semifinal.
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Reacting to the news, Collier wrote, “I am heartbroken to share that I will miss this Unrivaled season. 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. I will still be cheering on my teammates every step of the way, and I will continue to work relentlessly with the rest of the players and our staff to push our sport forward and raise the bar for women’s basketball.”
The league was a mega hit among the fans and has handed a special recognition to the Lynx forward.
Napheesa Collier Receives Honor For Unrivaled League
Just as the players’ association decided to get ready for the strike, the news of special recognition for the founders of the Unrivaled League broke.
Sports Illustrated awarded the duo Innovators of the Year and shared the news on social media. The post reads, “Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier changed the landscape of women’s basketball by co-founding the player-owned league Unrivaled.”
Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier changed the landscape of women's basketball by co-founding the player-owned league Unrivaled. Congrats to Stewart and Collier on being named Innovators of the Year 👏 pic.twitter.com/btBuqVjpcd
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 18, 2025
It’s devastating not to see the star on the court, but she might be on the sidelines cheering for her side and the league, too.