Each week, we will provide an update on the Minnesota Lynx players overseas and how they are performing as part of our Lynx Offseason Update series.
Though it feels like February just began, we are already in the final week of the month as we get ready for the start of March, and action heating up across the league as the WNBA offseason continues and preparations continue for the upcoming campaign.
Seasons across the globe over the offseason are starting to pick up as we get closer to postseason action in nearly every league worldwide, and the 14 Minnesota Lynx players who are under team control playing in either the United States or overseas are in the middle of it all.
Lynx players currently playing include Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride, Courtney Williams, Alissa Pili, Bridget Carleton, Alanna Smith, Natisha Hiedeman, Dorka Juhász, Diamond Miller, Maïa Hirsch, Jessica Shepard and newcomers Marième Badiane, Grace Berger and Kiara Leslie.
Let’s jump right into a new edition of the Lynx Offseason Update looking back on how the Lynx have performed over the past week!
Napheesa Collier — Lunar Owls (United States)
Collier has shined through the first three weeks of the Unrivaled season, dominating both offensive and on the glass. Now, about halfway through the season, Collier has led Unrivaled in scoring all year long while averaging a double-double.
After taking home first place in the league’s 1-on-1 tournament, Collier and Lunar Owls returned for a pair of games over the past week. Collier didn’t dominate as much as we have seen from her to this point in the season, but still impressed with well-rounded showcases to lead her squad.
Season Stats:
- 10 games — 26.6 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 3.1 APG, 2.0 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 18.0 MPG
Recent Games:
- Feb. 21 vs. Rose (72-63 loss): 16 points (6-14 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 1-1 FT), 10 rebounds, five blocks, four assists, and three steals over 22 minutes
- Feb. 22 vs. Laces (88-60 win): 16 points (5-9 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 3-3 FT), nine rebounds, two assists, and two steals over 12 minutes
Kayla McBride — Laces (United States)
McBride has been a walking bucket, as normal, in Unrivaled and she has lifted Laces to a strong year so far while sitting second among players in scoring behind only Napheesa Collier.
Over the past week, McBride and Laces took the court in two games, with McBride continuing to do McBride things to lead her team.
Season Stats:
- 8 games — 24.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 19.5 MPG
Recent Games:
- Feb. 18 vs. Phantom (76-68 win): 30 points (9-19 FG, 2-9 3Pt, 5-5 FT), seven rebounds, four assists and two steals over 24 minutes
- Feb. 22 vs. Lunar Owls (88-60 loss): 18 points (6-13 FG, 0-5 3Pt, 4-4 FT), seven rebounds and two assists over 19 minutes
Courtney Williams — Lunar Owls (United States)
As we have seen with the Lynx in the WNBA, Williams has been the spark plug and energy generator for Lunar Owls so far in Unrivaled, distributing the ball well while also being able to help her squad with her shot when needed.
Over the past week, Williams and the Lunar Owls played in a pair of games, with the point guard having a quiet outing in the first contest, but rebounding with her best performance of the season in the second contest while putting together her best game of the Unrivaled season thus far.
Season Stats:
- 10 games — 9.5 PPG, 4.6 APG, 3.9 RPG, 0.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 9.3 MPG
Recent Games:
- Feb. 21 vs. Rose (72-63 loss): two points (1-4 FG), one assist and one block over seven minutes
- Feb. 22 vs. Laces (88-60 win): 11 points (5-12 FG, 1-4 3Pt), 10 rebounds and seven assists over 16 minutes
Natisha Hiedeman — Laces (United States)
After starting the Unrivaled season with Phantom, Hiedeman shifted squads when she was reassigned to Laces to join Lynx teammate Kayla McBride on one of the top teams in the league at the moment.
Over the past week, Hiedeman and Laces took the court in a pair of contests with the guard putting together two balanced performances that included tallying season-high rebound and assist totals in one outing while notching her second double-digit contest of the year in the other.
Season Stats:
- 7 games — 7.3 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 8.6 MPG
Recent Games:
- Feb. 18 vs. Phantom (76-68 win): eight points (4-12 FG, 0-4 3Pt), seven rebounds, four assists and two steals over 12 minutes
- Feb. 22 vs. Lunar Owls (88-60 loss): 211 points (4-11 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 1-1 FT), three rebounds and three assists over 17 minutes
Alissa Pili — Team Harrison (United States)
Pili has gotten off to a nice start with Athletes Unlimited, playing in three more games over the past week as part of Team Harrison — with Lynx assistant coaches Rebekkah Brunson and Lindsay Whalen both in attendance.
Pili once again impressed in Athletes Unlimited action over the past week, building onto a nice campaign thus far with three double-digit scoring outings including one that included a perfect shooting mark.
Season Stats:
- 9 games — 13.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.6 SPG, 30.4 MPG
Recent Games:
- Feb. 19 vs. Team Siegrist (98-80 loss): 15 points (6-6 FG, 3-3 3Pt), three rebounds, two blocks and one steal over 30 minutes
- Feb. 20 vs. Team Sims (84-81 loss): 17 points (7-12 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds and one assist over 27 minutes
- Feb. 23 vs. Team Caldwell (82-79 loss): 10 points (4-7 FG, 2-2 FT), two rebounds and two assists over 27 minutes
Bridget Carleton — ÇBK Mersin (Turkey)
Now, with Carleton playing with ÇBK Mersin in Turkey after starting the offseason with UNI Györ in Hungary, Carleton has continued to put together a strong offseason thus far.
Over the past week, Carleton took the court in two contests, one Turkey-KBSL battle and one Euroleague outing. In those games, Carleton had a quiet outing to start the week but finished it with a nice all-around showing in Turkey-KBSL action.
Season Stats:
With ÇBK Mersin:
- Turkey-KBSL: 7 games — 9.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 292 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 35.0 MPG
- Euroleague: 5 games — 9.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 33.6 MPG
UNI Györ:
- Hungary-A Division: 5 games — 12.6 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 31.2 MPG
- Euroleague: 2 games — 15.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, 2.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 36.0 MPG
Recent Games:
- Feb. 19 vs. Valencia (89-57 loss): four points (1-5 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 1-2 FT), two rebounds and one assist over 32 minutes
- Feb. 22 vs. Fenerbahçe (72-66 win): 10 points (4-11 FG, 2-8 3Pt), seven rebounds and seven assists over 40 minutes
Alanna Smith — Shandong (China)
Smith has been all over the globe over the course of her WNBA career, currently playing for Shandong in China. During her career, Smith has played in Australia, Poland, and Turkey before landing with her current Chinese squad.
Over the past week, Smith put together her best offensive performance of the season, setting new season-high marks in scoring and threes made while now having surpassed the 30-point mark in three of her last four outings.
Season Stats:
- China-WCBA: 32 games — 18.5 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 2.7 APG, 2.2 SPG
Recent Games:
- Feb. 18 vs. Xinjiang (98-69 win): 39 points (16-27 FG, 4-6 3Pt, 3-5 FT), 11 rebounds, four steals and two assists
Dorka Juhász — Famila Schio (Italy)
Juhász is back in Italy again this year, coming off a strong campaign with Famila Schio last offseason and looking to build upon that this season as she prepares for her third WNBA campaign in 2025.
As the offseason progresses, Juhász has continued to play well in Italy-Serie A1 and Euroleague action, taking the court in one Euroleague contest over the past week while putting forth a balanced outing on both ends of the court.
Season Stats:
- Italy-Serie A1: 9 games — 8.1 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.1 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 19.7 MPG
- Euroleague: 8 games — 9.0 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 25.9 MPG
Recent Games:
- Feb. 19 vs. Fenerbahçe (86-80 loss): four points (2-5 FG, 0-1 3Pt), seven rebounds and two steals over 26 minutes
Diamond Miller — Gorzow Wielkopolski (Poland)
Miller had her season cut short last offseason while dealing with a knee injury, only appearing in three games in Hungary before returning to Minnesota to rehab her injury. This offseason, she has done well in her first full healthy offseason.
Over the past week, Miller took the court in a pair of contests, putting together two well-rounded outings on both ends of the floor for her Polish squad.
Season Stats:
- Poland-OBLK: 12 games — 17.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 28.8 MPG
- EuroCup: 4 games — 12.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 31.5 MPG
Recent Games:
- Feb. 18 vs. Bydgoszcz (88-65 win): 16 points (5-14 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 4-5 FT), six rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal over 31 minutes
- Feb. 22 vs. Lublin (93-84 loss): 19 points (6-14 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 6-6 FT), nine rebounds, for assists, three blocks, and three steals over 31 minutes
Marième Badiane — Fenerbahçe (Turkey)
Badiane is one of the newest members of the Lynx to be added to this offseason update series, following Minnesota adding her to the roster once free agency began at the start of February.
With Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahçe, where she spent time with Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride, Badiane appeared in a pair of contests over the past week, failing to reach double figures in scoring in each of the outings, but putting forth balanced efforts in each game.
Season Stats:
- Turkey-KBSL: 10 games — 14.9 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 29.1 MPG
- Euroleague: 13 games — 5.5 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 17.6 MPG
Recent Games:
- Feb. 19 vs. Famila Schio (86-80 win): four points (2-6 FG, 0-3 3Pt), four assists, three rebounds, two steals and one block over 25 minutes
- Feb. 22 vs. ÇBK Mersin (72-66 loss): nine points (3-9 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), nine rebounds and one assist over 33 minutes
Jessica Shepard — Athinaikos AS Vurona (Greece)
Some may have forgotten about Shepard since she didn’t play in the WNBA in 2024 on a suspended contract while remaining overseas, but the veteran is still under control of the Lynx.
Shepard had continued to shine in Greece while playing with Athinaikos AS Vurona, playing in one game over the past week and once again recording a double-double, still doing so in every appearance in Greece-A1 action.
Season Stats:
- Greece-A1: 14 games — 27.2 PPG, 15.5 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 33.6 MPG
Recent Games:
- Feb. 19 vs. Esperides (85-66 win): 25 points (11-17 FG, 3-5 FT), 10 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steals over 28 minutes
Grace Berger — OGM Ormanspor (Turkey)
Berger, another new member of the Lynx, was claimed off waivers by Minnesota after the former seventh-overall pick was waived by the Indiana Fever earlier this offseason.
While playing with OGM Ormanspor in Turkey, Berger appeared in one game over the past week, recording her second straight double-digit scoring total and her 14th of the season thus far.
Season Stats:
- Turkey-KBSL: 19 games — 13.2 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.2 SPG, 35.9 MPG
Recent Games:
- Feb. 22 vs. Nesibe (70-68 loss): 12 points (5-10 FG, 2-4 3Pt), three rebounds and three assists over 40 minutes
Maïa Hirsch — ESB Villeneuve (France)
Hirsch has yet to appear with the Lynx or in the WNBA after being drafted 12th overall by Minnesota in 2023 but is still under team control as she remains in France with ESB Villeneuve.
So far this offseason, Hirsch hasn’t seen a high level of production in France-BWL action, some of that due to the lack of minutes on the court in France. Over the past week, Hirsch didn’t appear in any action on the court with ESB Villeneuve.
Season Stats:
- France-BWL: 6 games — 3.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.5 BPG, 12.8 MPG
- EuroCup: 2 games — 8.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 0.5 APG, 19.0 MPG
Recent Games:
- Jan. 5 vs. Landerneau (81-65 win): no points (0-0 FG) and three rebounds over six minutes
Kiara Leslie — Gigantes de Carolina (Puerto Rico)
Leslie is the newest member of the Lynx, signing a training camp contract with Minnesota over the past week. Leslie was originally drafted by the Washington Mystics 10th overall in the 2019 WNBA Draft, last playing in the WNBA in 2021.
Leslie has played overseas in Egypt, France, Israel, and Russia throughout her career, most recently playing in Puerto Rico in Puerto Rice-BSNF action as part of Gigantes de Carolina. Last playing with the club on Oct. 28, Leslie did a little bit of everything for her Puerto Rican squad over 20 contests.
Season Stats:
- Puerto Rico-BSNF: 20 games — 18.3 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 35.6 MPG
That will do it for this week. As always, thank you for reading! We will catch up with you next week with another Lynx Offseason Update.