{"id":142281,"date":"2025-05-28T10:45:54","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T14:45:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=142281"},"modified":"2025-05-28T10:45:54","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T14:45:54","slug":"napheesa-collier-replaces-caitlin-clark-as-mvp-favorite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/28\/napheesa-collier-replaces-caitlin-clark-as-mvp-favorite\/","title":{"rendered":"Reigning DPOY Replaces Caitlin Clark As MVP Favorite"},"content":{"rendered":"

The WNBA MVP race just took a major turn. Caitlin Clark<\/a>, the league\u2019s brightest star, is temporarily out with a leg injury. As expected, that changed everything. The MVP betting landscape reacted fast\u2014and one name now stands above the rest. Napheesa Collier<\/a> is the new MVP favorite and she might just win it this year.<\/p>\n

Napheesa Collier Replaces Caitlin Clark As MVP Favorite<\/h2>\n

Clark\u2019s Injury Shakes Up MVP Race<\/h3>\n

The Indiana Fever<\/a> confirmed that Clark will miss at least two weeks. She\u2019s dealing with a quadriceps strain. That news caused a ripple effect across sportsbooks.<\/p>\n

Before her injury, Clark was neck-and-neck with Collier in MVP odds. Now, the tables have turned. Napheesa Collier is the MVP favorite at most betting sites. At Hard Rock, Collier leads with -170 odds. Clark drops to +260.<\/p>\n

That kind of movement in odds means the sportsbooks see this as a pivotal moment. It\u2019s not just about Clark missing games\u2014it\u2019s about how dominant Collier has been.<\/p>\n

Napheesa Collier Is Dominating on Both Ends<\/h3>\n
\"Napheesa
May 23, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Karlie Samuelson (44) and Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) celebrate after defeating the Connecticut Sun at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you’re wondering why Napheesa Collier is the MVP favorite now, the numbers tell the story. She\u2019s averaging 26.8 points per game. That\u2019s the highest in the league. Kelsey Plum<\/a> trails at 25.2.<\/p>\n

But scoring isn\u2019t all she does. Collier pulls down 7.8 rebounds, racks up 2.4 steals, and blocks 1.4 shots per game. She’s a force on both ends. Her MVP case doesn\u2019t just rest on flashy offense\u2014it\u2019s about her all-around impact.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s also coming off a Defensive Player of the Year season and helping lead a 4\u20130 Lynx team that looks hungry to return to the Finals.<\/p>\n

Building A Brand While Leading the League<\/h3>\n

Collier\u2019s rise isn\u2019t limited to the court. Earlier this month, she signed a deal<\/a> with Nike\u2019s Jordan Brand. She also co-founded Unrivaled<\/em>, a 3-on-3 offseason league giving players more opportunities and exposure.<\/p>\n

In other words, she\u2019s becoming a face of the WNBA both in games and in the wider sports world. That visibility matters. MVP voters look at more than stats\u2014they look at influence, leadership, and impact. All of these things help explain why Napheesa Collier is the MVP favorite right now.<\/p>\n

Other Contenders Are Still in the Mix<\/h3>\n

Even with Clark out, she\u2019s still second in MVP odds. That\u2019s a testament to how valuable she is to the league. She’s averaging 19 points, 9.3 assists, and 6 rebounds in four games. The Fever sit at 2-2. If she returns quickly and dominates, she could climb back up.<\/p>\n

A\u2019ja Wilson<\/a> remains a strong candidate at +650. She’s won the award three times. But with such a slow start for the Aces, her odds have taken a hit. Plum and Breanna Stewart<\/a> sit at +6000, while Sabrina Ionescu<\/a> and Satou Sabally<\/a> trail at +7500.<\/p>\n

Right now, this is Collier\u2019s race to lose.<\/p>\n

Clark\u2019s Absence Highlights Her Value<\/h3>\n

Even off the court, Clark is shaping the league. Ticket prices for road games dropped over 70%<\/a> after news of her injury. That tells you everything about her drawing power. She\u2019s been responsible for 26.5%<\/a> of all WNBA revenue this year according to NBC News. That\u2019s massive.<\/p>\n

Still, while Clark\u2019s star continues to rise, Collier\u2019s consistency and two-way dominance have made her the top choice for MVP.<\/p>\n

Why Napheesa Collier Deserves the MVP Spotlight<\/h3>\n

Collier is checking every box. She scores, defends, rebounds, and leads. She has the stats, the impact, and now the spotlight. With Clark out, voters and fans are taking a closer look\u2014and they like what they see.<\/p>\n

If she keeps this pace, the MVP award may be heading to Minnesota.<\/p>\n

The WNBA MVP race just took a major turn. Caitlin Clark, the league\u2019s brightest star, is temporarily out with a leg injury. As expected, that changed everything. The MVP betting landscape reacted fast\u2014and one name now stands above the rest. Napheesa Collier is the new MVP favorite and she might just win it this year. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":142288,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[49709,1608,3],"tags":[1631,3153,49063,49637,3640,49658,4745,3152,49833,49636],"class_list":["post-142281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wnba","category-basketball","category-news","tag-aja-wilson","tag-breanna-stewart","tag-caitlin-clark","tag-kelsey-plum","tag-minnesota-lynx","tag-napheesa-collier","tag-nba-injuries","tag-sabrina-ionescu","tag-satou-sabally","tag-wnba-mvp"],"modified_by":"Frederick Okocha","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142281"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":142293,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142281\/revisions\/142293"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}