Soon Brittney Griner could be a Maverick in more than one sense of the word.
Dallas Maverick’s owner, Mark Cuban, has come out publicly and said that if Griner were the best player available on the board he would draft her. Griner has expressed interest.
I can’t be the only one who saw this coming. I was mesmerized watching Baylor and Griner play against Florida State in the Women’s NCAA Tournament. The 6′ 8″ center dominated that game and played with a physicality that matched anything I’ve seen in the NBA recently.
I watched that game and said “She should go the the NBA, not the WNBA.” and then I immediately felt bad because I felt like I was selling out the women’s league.
But I still have some questions:
1) Is Griner even eligible for the NBA draft?
First, can women enter the draft? All of the language in the rules says “he” but there isn’t really anything that specifies the player must be male.
Second, the NBA draft takes place on June 27th, 2013. The WNBA Draft is scheduled for April 3rd, 2013. Everybody pretty much agrees that the Phoenix Mercury will draft Brittney Griner with the first pick. If Brittney is drafted by the Mercury, she will be in Washington on June 27th playing against the Mystics.
Can a person even be drafted by the NBA if they play for the WNBA? It hasn’t happened before, but then again, we’ve never had a Brittney Griner before.
I think the legal answer is no, but keep in mind, the NBA owns the WNBA, and if I were working in their PR department (which I totally would if they would only hire me. Call me, NBA.) I would say that Griner would spike the ratings and ticket sales in both leagues. I haven’t been to a WNBA game in two years, but I would be sitting there with bells on if Brittney Griner came to town, and if she came playing against the men, I would be sitting there in a Griner jersey.
I mean, not if she played for the Mavericks, gross. I am a Magic fan. But if Orlando drafted her I would buy the jersey and then fly to Florida to cheer her on.
And of course, third, if she cannot be drafted by the NBA if she is playing for the WNBA would she not declare for the WNBA draft? That seems like a dangerous prospect for a 22 year old that wants to make a living playing basketball, who is pretty much guaranteed that #1 pick.
2) What would the best female player in the country going to the NBA do to the legitimacy of the WNBA?
Yeah. I don’t like that question either, but what would it do?
I am conflicted. I would LOVE to see a woman in the NBA. Girl power and history and women’s liberation and all that, but that changes the WNBA from the Professional Women’s League to – that cute little league that the girls have to play in because girls aren’t as big and strong as the boys, and that sucks.
Then again, Nancy Lieberman says she should go for it, and if Nancy says it is okay for women basketball players, I choose to take that as gospel because if anyone understands the ramifications of this sort of thing, it is Nancy Lieberman.
Gratuitous picture of me and my friend Meg with Nancy Lieberman.
Who knows what will happen? Maybe Mark Cuban is just doing this for the attention. Maybe some other team will snatch her up first. Maybe she will be a Phoenix Mercury superstar by June. Maybe Kim Jong Un will blow up the world this week and the entire conversation is moot.
I should add here that Denise Long was drafted into the NBA back in 1969, but the choice was immediately voided on the basis that it was a stunt by the commissioner (What the hell, Walter Kennedy?) so I am not sure it counts.
I guess I would like to see Griner get drafted, both because I don’t want the world to blow up and because I honestly believe that Brittney Griner could hold her own in the NBA. I don’t think she would be the dominant force she could be in the WNBA, but I think she would play well and make all of us proud.
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Kelly Dwyer wrote a really great piece about this over on Yahoo Sports, you should check it out.