LeBron James puts Lynx star Napheesa Collier in the spotlight

The Minnesota Lynx won the deciding Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals against the Connecticut Sun on Friday night by a score of 90-81, taking a 2-1 lead.

The Lynx lost home-field advantage after suffering a 73-70 loss on their own turf in Game 1 of the series – which brought strong feelings from Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve.

Since then, the Lynx have rebounded to win two straight games and are now just one win away from advancing to their first WNBA Finals since 2017.

Without superstar Napheesa Collier, Minnesota wouldn’t have made it this far. Not only is Collier their leader and best defender (as evidenced by her 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award), but her versatile offensive skills are a terror for opposing defenses.

In five postseason games this year, Collier averaged 26.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4 assists per game. On Friday, she scored 26 points (on an efficient 57.9% from the field), 11 rebounds and 3 assists.

The performance caught the attention of Indiana Pacers superstar and Team USA Paris Olympic gold medalist Tyrese Haliburton, who wrote on X: “Napheesa was awesome!!” Friday night.

And NBA icon and controversial basketball GOAT LeBron James responded to Haliburton’s post, doubling down on his opinion by saying, “FACTS!!! She is an ANIMAL! The game is so damn smooth and complete! HARD.”

It’s great to see a global basketball icon like James praise Collier, who is often considered the WNBA’s most underrated and underappreciated player.

However, if Collier can keep up with her current form and bring the Lynx a WNBA championship later this month, she will certainly receive a lot of attention.