Does Napheesa Collier's Injury Impact the WNBA MVP Race?

Zena, Ben, and Sabreena break down the start to WNBA Rivals Week – discussing some key injuries around the W that have dampened excitement for some of these matchups. They also touch upon A'ja Wilson's historic night, and how DiJonai Carrington and Brittney Sykes are making an impact on their new teams. Then, the crew turns their attention to who could be the 2025 WNBA MVP. What gets factored into making that decision? How much does win percentage matter? And is Napheesa Collier still the frontrunner despite missing some time with her recent injury? Plus, Ben walks the crew through his reporting on a WNBA tradition: the post-practice half court shot contest. REFERENCES: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6543046/2025/08/08/indiana-fever-sydney-colson-aari-mcdonald-injured/ https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6546038/2025/08/11/aja-wilson-wnba-history-30-points-20-rebounds/ https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6539678/2025/08/11/wnba-halfcourt-shots-practices-fever-liberty/ https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6546028/2025/08/11/wnba-power-rankings-minnesota-lynx-trade-deadline/ 00:00 Show Intro 00:42 A’ja Wilson makes WNBA history 01:43 The Fever suffer more injury blows 03:19 The Fever sign Odyssey Sims 4:32 Injuries around the W 08:33 Sabreena’s Scale 12:30 The Storm’s immediate difference with Brittney Sykes 12:53 Dijonai Carrington fitting right in with the Lynx’s 18:54 History of the WNBA’s MVP 21:17 What’s the criteria for WNBA MVP 24:50 Making a case for WNBA MVP 25:12 Napheesa Collier has been consistently excellent 28:03 What's keeping A'ja Wilson back from winning MVP? 31:00 A look other candidates for MVP 34:21 Is Sabrina Ionescu in the MVP conversation? 34:41 How Alyssa Thomas has been impressive on the court 39:16 Kelsey Mitchell deserving of an all WNBA team consideration 39:54 Sabrina Ionescu is having a great season 40:45 Allisha Gray has been a stabilizing force for the Dream 41:42 The Bigs and their influence on the court 45:24 The half-court shot tradition in the W #wnba #mvp #napheesacollier Thumbnail: Ethan Miller, Jordan Johnson via Getty Images Follow and listen to the audio podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/no-offseason-the-athletic-womens-basketball-show/id1699815468 Leave a comment wherever you’re listening, or email us at NoOffseason@TheAthletic.com. You can also find us on socials: -Instagram: @tanooffseason -TikTok: @no_offseason -Zena on BlueSky: @zenakeita -Ben on BlueSky: @benpickman -Sabreena on BlueSky: @sabreenajm -Chantel on BlueSky: @chanteljennings Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports Hub: https://sports.yahoo.com/womens-sports/?guccounter=1 Full Episodes Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5UWQzuMYdm7txmok7cpMB3YlgkwrT2E0 Shorts Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5UWQzuMYdm72uhBjsd24rsh5teZtgUpS