Napheesa Collier left the court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 19 with a WNBA All-Star Game-record 36 points and the MVP trophy. The Minnesota Lynx forward looked likely to add a bigger honor at season's end: the league's MVP award.

The WNBA will announce the winner Sunday. But in perhaps the biggest shift in the narrative around the MVP award in league history, what appeared to be a foregone conclusion two months ago has turned into a hotly contested race.

Will Collier win her first MVP? Or will Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson become the first WNBA player to win the honor four times?

After the All-Star break, an Aug. 2 injury cost Collier the next seven games. During that absence, the Aces went unbeaten, with Wilson leading them to an eventual 16-game winning streak to end t

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