In its second season, Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league, has signed many of the world’s top women’s basketball players, but one of the league’s best will not be available in 2026.
Following additional consultation during the Unrivaled preseason and after exhausting all options to progress rehabilitation of injuries sustained during the WNBA season, a joint team of medical staff determined that surgery on both left and right ankles would be necessary for Lunar Owls BC’s Napheesa Collier, and she will be unable to participate in the upcoming Unrivaled season. Collier’s expected timeline for recovery is 4-6 months, the league announced on Thursday.
Temi Fágbénlé will join the Lunar Owls for the 2026 season, with Unrivaled having signed Fágbénlé to a multiyear contract with the league.
Collier, one of the league’s founders, injured her left ankle in the WNBA playoffs. This injury could impact Collier’s availability for the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA. Last season with Minnesota, the 29-year-old Collier had an MVP-caliber season, and the five-time All-Star helped lead Minnesota to the best regular-season record in the WNBA in 2025.
The Unrivaled season begins on January 5 at Sephora Arena in Miami.
