Brittany Griner is exactly what comes to mind when discussing an athlete who in their time and place, completely conquers a sport and makes themselves its biggest star. At 6-8. Griner is already taller than most female college basketball players, and her additional athleticism has made her incredibly dominant in her sport. As her college career winds down, the very obvious choice for Griner is to head to the WNBA, a league where she will star, but fail to receive much fame.
Mark Cuban, the extravagant and outspoken owner of the Dallas Mavericks, has recently come ut and said that not only would he give Griner a try out to make his tea,. but she would get a spot on the roster if she earned it. If this seems like something without precedent, it's because it is. An NBA owner willing to take a direct shot on inviting in a female player is sure to make some waves, and just yesterday, Miami Heat forward Shane Battier added some fuel to the fire when he said that "there will be a female in the NBA in my lifetime". No one can be sure whether Griner will be that person or not, but Battier feels like there could be potential.
Realistically, the concept is rather farfetched. Very few women display the skills in their own league necessary to even warrant this conversation, and those that do face a very biased and skeptical public view on female athletes. People will offer all sorts of reasons why female athletes will never reach men's leagues, whether it be their size, strength, speed or technical skills. Griner is no different. A center at Baylor, she would be a solid 4 inches shorter than the typical NBA center, and about 50 lbs. lighter. She'd be undersized to play that position, and more than likely lack the agility to match up at the forward spot with the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony or Dirk Nowitzki.
Additionally, most forwards in the NBA need to be able to run the floor and hitting outside shots, including three pointers, a shot that Griner never even had to consider in college. She would need to have very quick feet to keep up on defense, and would not have such a forgiving time guarding men that were her size or bigger.
Not to say that the concept isn't a very cool idea to me, (I actually want her to try out and prove everyone wrong) but the odds are certainly stacked together. No matter how much you want to tout her successes, the obvious fact is, we're talking about the same game, but we might as well not be. Everything she knows, everything she is used to about basketball, will be different in the NBA. It may or may not be Brittany Griner that ends up fulfilling Battier's prophecy, but I certainly hope someone comes along soon. I'll be waiting.
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