"She's a flat-out monster": Charles Barkley lavishes praises on Napheesa Collier with 'shocking' WNBA Finals prediction

By Orlando Silva

Modified Oct 12, 2024 19:54 GMT

Napheesa Collier has had a terrific 2024 WNBA season, leading the Minnesota Lynx to the No. 2 seed and a spot in the finals. She continued her outstanding performance with a standout Game 1 against the New York Liberty.

The two-way threat has established herself as one of the league's premier talents, and more people are praising her by the week. NBA legend Charles Barkley showered Collier with praise on an episode of Throwbacks with Matt Leinart & Jerry Ferrara.

"A'ja [Wilson] is the best player in the world. This girl, Napheesa Collier, she's a flat-out monster," Barkley said before sharing his 2024 WBNA Finals winner. "I tell you what, I'm going with the Lynx to beat the Liberty. I do think they're going to shock the world. I really do.

"I worry about the Liberty that they just gave all their juice to get rid of the ghost of the Aces. This Minnesota team, they might be a team of destiny. It's going to be fun to watch because I'm a big WNBA fan." [44:47]

Collier has proven a terrific leader for the Lynx, making the game go through her and impacting matchups on both ends of the floor. The series opener was another testament to Collier's ability to change the course of games.

Napheesa Collier propelled Lynx to beat Liberty in Finals Game 1

Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Finals was a rollercoaster, as the Liberty started on top, taking a 32-19 in the first quarter. After failing to manage that lead, the Lynx saw the door open to steal this game, working steadily to get close and overtake the Liberty after forcing overtime.

Napheesa Collier had 21 points, eight rebounds and two assists, but her impact was most felt on the defensive end of the ball. She recorded three steals and six blocks while only turning the ball over. Collier did a terrific job slowing down Breanna Stewart and was clutch for her team down the stretch.

After grabbing two consecutive offensive rebounds, she made a driving layup with 1:40 left in the fourth quarter. She blocked Stewart's layup with 2.0 on the clock to prevent the forward from getting a potential game-winning bucket.

Collier added a defensive rebound and four points in overtime, but she recorded two steals on Courtney Vandersloot and Sabrina Ionescu, which prevented the Liberty from scoring more. The cherry on top was her 12-foot jumper that gave her squad the 95-93 win.