Hall of Famer Charles Barkley compares WNBA star Caitlin Clark and NCAA star JuJu Watkins (Image credit: Imagn)

WNBA star Caitlin Clark has quickly become the face of women’s basketball through her historic accomplishments as a rookie and the attention she’s drawn to the game. Despite that, with NCAA players like JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers poised to enter the league, the league’s landscape is about to shift.

On an episode of Throwbacks with Matt Leinart and Jerry Ferrara, Hall of Famer Charles Barkley spoke about the talent level in the W and the head-to-head competition we’ll see between Watkins and Clark.

Of course, before Watkins has a chance to make the jump from the NCAA to the W, she’ll have to wait several more years until she meets the league minimum age requirement of 22 years old. Despite that, Barkley couldn’t help but heap praise on the USC star.

[43:00] “I tell all them bitter, angry girls in the WNBA who are upset about Caitlin Clark to move over more because JuJu is special. Number one, I want to give a shout-out to Caitlin for what she’s done for women’s basketball over the last three years. It’s been incredible, and I wish those women would embrace it, but that girl JuJu is the real deal.

“… Caitlin is a supernova and JuJu probably’s a better player. So those two women going to be running the WNBA for the next 10, 12, 14, 15, 20 years, basically.”

Charles Barkley shares his prediction for the WNBA Finals

While Charles Barkley discussed Caitlin Clark and NCAA star JuJu Watkins, he also spoke about the ongoing finals. After two hard-fought rounds, the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty are battling for the WNBA Championship.

In the opening game of the finals, the Liberty gave up a massive lead, ultimately falling to the Lynx 95-93 in overtime. As Barkley explained, Napheesa Collier has made him a believer.

[44:46] “This girl, Napheesa Collier, is a flat-out monster. I tell you what I’m going with the Lynx to beat the Liberty I think they going to shock the world.

“I really do because I worry about the Liberty that they gave all they juice to getting rid of the ghost of the Aces, and I tell you what, 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.”