Brittney Griner was recently drafted first overall in the WNBA draft, and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has said he will consider taking Griner in the NBA draft as well.
Griner is one of my favorite basketball players to watch, male or female. Her dominance is unlike anything I have seen in basketball and her ability is revolutionizing women’s basketball.
Her athletic ability is unlike anything we have ever seen in women’s college basketball. She is an elite shot-blocker and can dunk in the flow of the offense with ease.
But to say that she could play in the NBA is not realistic. She would be a 6’8″ center, which is the ideal size for a small forward in the association.
Players such as Lebron James, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony are bigger than her. None of those players play predominantly in the paint.
Her strength would also be a major disadvantage in the NBA. It would be impossible for her to guard a player like Dwight Howard or Kevin Love, which would be matchups she would draw in the post. She would also struggle handling the ball against players that would be defending her.
So she can’t play in the NBA, but that does not matter. Her greatness should be appreciated either way, because Griner is a once-in-a-generation talent.
Nobody ever compares Serena Williams to Andy Roddick in tennis. Nobody has ever compared Mia Hamm to Landon Donovan just because they both play soccer.
They are related because they are outstanding American athletes, but it doesn’t matter who would win if they faced off, because they never will.
We don’t compare Missy Franklin to Michael Phelps because winning a gold medal is the same, gender does not matter. So let’s stop comparing Britney Griner to NBA players.
Her accomplishments are not any less important because she cannot play against the best men in the world. Griner’s greatness is enough to stand for itself. She cannot be stopped, and she cannot be scored on.
Let’s all stop comparing her to men because she is not a man. She will be the best player in the WNBA for at least a decade, which is an outstanding accomplishment that should be celebrated regardless of her NBA draft status.
