is it really that hard to imagine a woman playing in the NBA?

[Roy Hobbs]

Very Good Discussion, but I feel like playing devil's advocate today:

So Tamika Catchings, Candace Parker, Lisa Leslie, or Diana Taurasi aren't athletic?

They're athletic.  They're extraordinarily athletic compared to most women, and probably the average male.  However, they are not anywhere near athletic or strong enough to compete with the top 450 males in the world.

[adam8]

I am not sexist but it will absolutely never happen in my lifetime. Just look at the celebrity all star game where they always have a WNBA player against actors and sports players from other sports she never dominates that type of environment how is she going to dominate top Division one players enough to play in the NBA?

[Ian]

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/12/07/experts-women-in-the-nba-long-way-off/

I am surprised that so many people think that this won't happen soon. 

I admit imagining a woman against Lebron seems crazy, but how about a woman going against Brian Scalabrine.  I think some WNBA players might be able to teach him a thing or two. 

I'd like to see woman in the NBA.  Are they allowed to try out, sign up for the draft, or play in the Dleague? 

EDIT:  sorry, probably should have put this in the "Around the NBA" forum.

I'm pretty sure that boys high school varsity teams would beat a lot of the WNBA teams. Maybe not all of them but i bet maybe 50% of high schools (I also went to good bball high schools). I also think some of the top high school players would absolutely dominate the WNBA. I don't see a woman playing in the NHL, NBA, MLB, MLS, or NFL.

Any good boys high school player would dominate the nba, when phil jackson ran a basketball camp he pitted the girls national championship team in the state of Montana against a group of middle-school boys who had never played together and the boys blew them out.

I am slightly confused by the sentence "national championship team in the state of Montana".  do you mean the Montana state high school championship team or what?  You're telling me he brought like UConn or Tennessee to Montana and the middle school boys blew them out?

The Montana high school championship team

[Prof. Clutch]

My thing is, whoever is the best and capable should be able to play.  If that's a man, a woman, a transgender individual - to me it doesn't matter.  When I watch the NBA (and not college basketball) its because I want to watch the best go against the best.  If a woman is capable of playing in the NBA and competing at that level then I'm all for it.

[EJPLAYA]

Here's a thought. How many 6'5" guys out there can BARELY slide a dunk over the front of the rim and only when uncontested?! That's what the very best of the WNBA women are able to achieve. Lisa Leslie is arguably the best player in all of womens basketball at her prime and that was her ceiling. The worst 6'5" player in the NBA is going to physically run circles around them. The shorter guards are going to blwo past them like they are standing still and also overpower them. They just don't have the strength and althleticism to compete with the guys in the NBA. It's not being chauvanistic. It is just being real.

[fairweatherfan]

My thing is, whoever is the best and capable should be able to play.  If that's a man, a woman, a transgender individual - to me it doesn't matter.  When I watch the NBA (and not college basketball) its because I want to watch the best go against the best.  If a woman is capable of playing in the NBA and competing at that level then I'm all for it.

I think very few people are against it on principle - it's whether it's physically feasible for a woman to reach that level that's the question. 

Also related though, sooner or later a male-to-female transgender will try to get into the WNBA - now that'll be quite a ruckus.

[indeedproceed]

I don't think it's feasible. Not in the next 20 years.

For every step forward women are taking, men are also moving forward in increasing their own limits.

I'm not against it, I just don't believe it will happen.

[Hoops]

Here's a thought. How many 6'5" guys out there can BARELY slide a dunk over the front of the rim and only when uncontested?! That's what the very best of the WNBA women are able to achieve. Lisa Leslie is arguably the best player in all of womens basketball at her prime and that was her ceiling. The worst 6'5" player in the NBA is going to physically run circles around them. The shorter guards are going to blwo past them like they are standing still and also overpower them. They just don't have the strength and althleticism to compete with the guys in the NBA. It's not being chauvanistic. It is just being real.

Along a similar vein, this is the reason why they distinguish between men and women in Olympic sports. There would be no women in the 100m, the high jump, long jump, discus, javelin, etc. if men and women competed together. That's just a simple fact. I love that we distinguish between men and women because I really appreciate seeing what women bring to the table. Women athletes are amazing at what they do, but it's not fair to compare them to men - we're just different.

If a women is ever good enough to play in the NBA, great. But I highly doubt it will ever happen, let alone in my lifetime.

[Eja117]

Here's a thought. How many 6'5" guys out there can BARELY slide a dunk over the front of the rim and only when uncontested?! That's what the very best of the WNBA women are able to achieve. Lisa Leslie is arguably the best player in all of womens basketball at her prime and that was her ceiling. The worst 6'5" player in the NBA is going to physically run circles around them. The shorter guards are going to blwo past them like they are standing still and also overpower them. They just don't have the strength and althleticism to compete with the guys in the NBA. It's not being chauvanistic. It is just being real.

I agree with you in theory...in theory communism works. In theory

But Mugsy Bouges couldn't dunk and played in this league past the point where he was super fast and wasn't able to hit threes.

Also a Chinese guy or two played in this league despite the notable handicap of not being able to move

[Celtic]

The worst player in the NBA would be the best player in the WNBA.

[wdleehi]

Here's a thought. How many 6'5" guys out there can BARELY slide a dunk over the front of the rim and only when uncontested?! That's what the very best of the WNBA women are able to achieve. Lisa Leslie is arguably the best player in all of womens basketball at her prime and that was her ceiling. The worst 6'5" player in the NBA is going to physically run circles around them. The shorter guards are going to blwo past them like they are standing still and also overpower them. They just don't have the strength and althleticism to compete with the guys in the NBA. It's not being chauvanistic. It is just being real.

I agree with you in theory...in theory communism works. In theory

But Mugsy Bouges couldn't dunk and played in this league past the point where he was super fast and wasn't able to hit threes.

Also a Chinese guy or two played in this league despite the notable handicap of not being able to move

What woman player could you say that about compared to the Rondo's, Parker's and Ellis's of the NBA?


What Woman player is over 7 feet tall?

[Roy Hobbs]

But Mugsy Bouges couldn't dunk and played in this league past the point where he was super fast and wasn't able to hit threes.

As wdleehi said, Bogues was fast as compared to some of the most athletic men in the world.  If there was a woman that had that type of speed, quickness, and instincts, she might be able to play in the NBA, but women just can't compete in terms of speed with the top men.

[Eja117]

The worst player in the NBA would be the best player in the WNBA.

I don't know. Some of these point guards that have the basketball IQ of a rock might not cut it there.

If Gerald Green insisted on continuing to look confused when he was supposed to be playing defense and taking shots that he can't make (like all of them other than dunks) I don't know if he could do it

[wdleehi]

The worst player in the NBA would be the best player in the WNBA.

I don't know. Some of these point guards that have the basketball IQ of a rock might not cut it there.

If Gerald Green insisted on continuing to look confused when he was supposed to be playing defense and taking shots that he can't make (like all of them other than dunks) I don't know if he could do it

Who in the WNBA could stop him in the low post?  Who could shoot over him? 

As a NBA SG/SF, his inability to drive kills him.

In the WNBA, he is the biggest and the fastest.  Think Shaq if he was faster then everyone else and could hit a jump shot.

[Eja117]

Here's a thought. How many 6'5" guys out there can BARELY slide a dunk over the front of the rim and only when uncontested?! That's what the very best of the WNBA women are able to achieve. Lisa Leslie is arguably the best player in all of womens basketball at her prime and that was her ceiling. The worst 6'5" player in the NBA is going to physically run circles around them. The shorter guards are going to blwo past them like they are standing still and also overpower them. They just don't have the strength and althleticism to compete with the guys in the NBA. It's not being chauvanistic. It is just being real.

I agree with you in theory...in theory communism works. In theory

But Mugsy Bouges couldn't dunk and played in this league past the point where he was super fast and wasn't able to hit threes.

Also a Chinese guy or two played in this league despite the notable handicap of not being able to move

What woman player could you say that about compared to the Rondo's, Parker's and Ellis's of the NBA?


What Woman player is over 7 feet tall?

took me a second, but now I see what you are saying. Roy helped.

I'm not 100% sure I buy the premise that the most athletic player in the WNBA would be the slowest and lowest jumping in the NBA.  Maybe she would.  
For example I don't buy the premise that Greg Oden can walk or jump for 82 games, so I might rather have a girl.  I mean he's good for 17 games or so and if he ever puts it together he might play for 65 or so, but I think most women centers would be more dependable.

I'm just saying a woman in her absolute prime might be able to make a contribution for a few years whereas there are other players that hurt their team consistently or can't contribute at all.