Napheesa Collier and NBA star Kevin Durant have plenty in common. They are both big forwards, they impact winning on both ends of the floor, and they are members of the exclusive 50-40-90 club.
None of that is why ESPN’s Elle Duncan compared Collier to Durant on the September 18 episode of A Touch More with Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe, though. Instead, she drew a comparison between the two stars because she thinks Collier is on the brink of losing out on another MVP award.
“I feel like Phee [Napheesa Collier] is living the Kevin Durant experience pre-2014—those two straight years that he finished second in MVP,” Duncan outlined. “He absolutely could have won the MVP. He played well enough to get it [if] not for LeBron James. And then, of course, he did finally break through in 2014. But I think she’s kind of experiencing that because last year [with] those numbers, she could have won MVP, but A’ja [Wilson] was historic. And this year, Phee could and should—and, for most of the season, we had her winning MVP—and then here comes A’ja.”
Collier already finished second in MVP voting once
Kevin Durant finished second in MVP voting twice before finally winning the award. In 2012 and 2013, he lost the race to LeBron James despite averaging 28 points, 8 rebounds, around 4 assists, and over one block and steal per game in both years.
Collier is halfway there already. She finished second in MVP voting to A’ja Wilson last season despite putting together an outstanding season on both ends of the court. Wilson had a historic season, however. She became the first player to lead the league in total points, rebounds, and blocks, and recorded the first 1000-point season in WNBA history. The Aces’ superstar deserved to win MVP and did so unanimously.
This year’s MVP race is very close
After finishing second in MVP voting last year, Collier entered the 2025 season as the overwhelming favorite to win the award. She made a compelling case early, scoring 34 points in the season opener and continuing to put up big games for the rest of the season. On top of that, the Lynx sat on top of the standings all season long.
Collier finished the season averaging a career-high 22.9 points on 53.1% shooting from the field, 40.3% from three, and 90.6% from the free-throw line, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.5 blocks.
Her case seemed pretty secure until she had to miss some time with an ankle injury, and Wilson spearheaded the most impressive turnaround of the season. The Aces struggled early on and barely looked like a playoff team. Then, they found themselves and headed into the playoffs as the number-two seed. Wilson finished the regular season leading all players in total points, made field goals, made free throws, and rebounds. She also ranked second in total blocks.
Wilson was already named AP Player of the Year, but the league’s official MVP award won’t be announced until September 21. It is the last of the major end-of-season awards to be announced. So far, Veronica Burton has won Most Improved Player, and Natalie Nakase was named Coach of the Year.