We don’t want to take anything away from Brittney Griner – she’s an incredible basketball player. She’s clearly one of best women’s college basketball players of all-time and we have championed her play here many times.
But to even consider entertaining a conversation about Griner being able to play in the NBA is completely absurd, let alone devoting whole segments of programming to it (Good one, ESPN). But that is exactly what is going on after Mark Cuban claimed that he would consider drafting Griner in the second round of the NBA Draft. Cue the nonsense.
Here is what he said in L.A. last night:
“If she is the best on the board, I will take her. I’ve thought about it. I’ve thought about it already. Would I do it? Right now, I’d lean toward yes, just to see if she can do it. You never know unless you give somebody a chance, and it’s not like the likelihood of any late-50s draft pick has a good chance of making it.”
Except we do know whether or not she could do it and the answer is “no.” Did anyone watch a Louisville women’s team with no player above 6-4 smack Brittney around the other night, taking her completely out of her game? At 6-8, her dominance in the college game is based on physically overpowering smaller players and getting off shots that no one can contest. Even if she just got a summer league invite, she’d be facing guards who are just about that size let alone bigs, who are 100x more physical, and who are desperately trying to make the team. She’d get killed.
But whatever, if Cuban’s aim was to get people talking and to extend a bit of good will to an in-state superstar and her fan base, mission accomplished.
Do you agree? Do you think Brittney Griner deserves a shot at the NBA?
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