Kobe says Taurasi, Moore, Delle Donne could play in the NBA
- Thread starter dukedevilz
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Uh... no. It's just PC non-sense. In the last decade alone, we've seen All-Americans in college like Jon Scheyer, Scottie Reynolds, Keenan Evans, Kevin Pangos, and Ethan Happ fail to make an NBA roster. There have only been 3 players in WNBA history with a legitimate dunk. That's pathetic. Women would get overpowered in the athleticism department. It probably wouldn't help them either when they have to adjust to a bigger basketball. Has Kobe ever seen any of them play against guys that are on at least a collegiate skill level?
On top of that, let's be mindful of some of the senior women's national soccer teams that have lost to boys teams in recent years:
- In 2017, the U.S. Women's national team lost 5-2 to the FC Dallas U-15 boys team.
- The Swedish Women lost to a local U-17 squad 3-0 in 2013.
- In 2016, Australia Women's national team lost 7-0 to the Newcastle U-15 club.
On the Letterman show, Serena Williams once said this: "“If I were to play Andy Murray, I would lose 6-0, 6-0 in five to six minutes, maybe ten minutes,” she continued. “No, it’s true. It’s a completely different sport. The men are a lot faster and they serve harder, they hit harder, it’s just a different game.”
Found this online. "Looking at Williams’ Universal Tennis Rating (UTR), which is the assigned numerical rating to all tennis players — both men and women — ranging on a 0 to 16.39 scale, the female athlete rates at 13.36, whereas dominant male tennis players like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic rate at 16.26 and 16.27 respectively. The scale places Williams on-par with average men’s college players (ranks about 97th out of the top 125 college men’s singles) and nowhere near top-world-ranked men."
For the record, there was someone from my high school that was an All-American tennis player at UNC. He's never cracked the top 400 ATP World Rankings.
Also, I love this little excerpt from a time when Serena actually did play a male tennis player.
Furthermore, in 1998, Williams actually played a set against a male tennis player ranked 203 in the world, Germany’s Karsten Braasch. She got her butt handed to her in embarrassing fashion, taking a 6-1 loss as her opponent smoked cigarettes and sipped beer in between change-overs.
“Braasch played a warmup round of golf in the morning, then came to Melbourne Park,” notes USA Today. “Braasch would smoke cigarettes and sip beer during the changeovers, and to be honest no longer looked the part of a fit professional athlete. It made no matter. Braasch led 5-0 over Serena before winning the set 6-1.”
Furthermore, in 1998, Williams actually played a set against a male tennis player ranked 203 in the world, Germany’s Karsten Braasch. She got her butt handed to her in embarrassing fashion, taking a 6-1 loss as her opponent smoked cigarettes and sipped beer in between change-overs.
“Braasch played a warmup round of golf in the morning, then came to Melbourne Park,” notes USA Today. “Braasch would smoke cigarettes and sip beer during the changeovers, and to be honest no longer looked the part of a fit professional athlete. It made no matter. Braasch led 5-0 over Serena before winning the set 6-1.”
Serena Williams was destroyed in a practice match against a below average men's tennis player. Sorry mate the WNBA all star team couldn't compete with a good HS boys team.
Not to pile on women here, but the Women's National Soccer Team got destroyed by 15 year old boys. This was just one team, not some gathering of great high school talent, either.
https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/ne...-the-u-s-womens-national-team-in-a-scrimmage/
It would be very similar in basketball.
https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/ne...-the-u-s-womens-national-team-in-a-scrimmage/
It would be very similar in basketball.
I don't care what crazy nut job lefties think there are major biological differences between men and women.
As I said, maybe they couldn't. I'd certainly think they couldn't... I've played sports with really accomplished women (although not in the same stratosphere as the ones he mentioned) and while they were really good they weren't big or strong enough. But at the same time, if he IS being serious... he is Kobe, and he knows a billion times more about the topic than I do.
And, confusing grammar aside, I don't know many people, rightie or leftie, who don't acknowledge major biological differences between men and women.
And, confusing grammar aside, I don't know many people, rightie or leftie, who don't acknowledge major biological differences between men and women.
You don't have to try and be careful with words, here. The first part of your post would have been fine. It's not going to hurt anyone's feelings acknowledging men are superior athletically by quite a bit.
The way most of you guys are describing, you’re almost suggesting that he said a team of women could compete in the NBA which is not what he said. But he did say is that individual women would have the opportunity to play in the NBA and be capable of having minutes where they are productive. I think taurasi could definitely be a three and d type player(no innuendo) and be effective, but not for more than 8-10 minutes a game
You do not believe that. She would get absolutely torched on defense. I'll give you making wide open shots, but that's about it.
Name a starting NBA guard you think Taurasi could guard well enough to be a "3 and D" type player. I'll hang up and listen.
No no, I'm not trying to be careful, really... I just get a bit... I dunno, I end up frowning when someone who knows WAY more than any of us do says something and immediately everyone writes it off as absolutely and totally impossible. I tend to agree, there is no way a woman could compete, but if I am sitting having a drink with Kobe and he says that, and I say "Dude, no way!" and he gives me a look and says "Uh, yeah, those girls could" who am I to say he is wrong?
Steve Blake
Steve Blake is proof that the multiverse theory is true. In some universe he had to be a starting PG in the NBA. It just happened to be the one we live in.
Sure but I'm not positive he says that to another dude at a bar in the middle of having beers.
He has a daughter who apparently is huge into basketball. He's recently been promoting the WNBA (by all accounts he just loves the sport, regardless of the level). And he made the claim in an interview with CNN. I feel like if you factor all of those things in it's just a combination of him promoting the WNBA, partly because he truly cares for the league and wants it to expand in popularity and partly because it motivates his daughter and makes her feel good about the future. As Jimbo says, he's just being nice. He knows that his statement will go public and it's the best thing he can say to get people to pay more attention to women's basketball.
Still not even realistically close.
If you take the number of boys that have competed in high school basketball from just the past 12 years, you're looking at roughly 1.6 million. Let's say she's in the 99.8 percentile. There's still more than 3,000 people ahead of you.
Has Kobe ever seen any of those women compete against NBA-level talent in a legitimate game? Doubt it. It's a nice thought, but it's not even remotely close to the truth.
Does it have to be a starter? Do they have to be in man defense? I think she has the lateral movement to at least play the point of a zone.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they will be elite, or very good. I'm just saying they aren't physically incapable of scoring points, or getting rebounds, especially in a shot happy offense that really spreads the ball around. Taurasi on the Warriors would be able to do some things. These are the best female players in the world, they can handle the ball decently, and have range. They aren't the pro players of the late 90s that started the WNBA
I think I was pretty generous by saying "name a starter". Since locking down a single player hardly makes you a defensive specialist. Having to be hidden in a zone to effectively guard your position is hardly what I would consider a "3 and D" specialist.
No one is denying that the women have skill, but the NBA is made up of the best male baskeball players (and some of the best athletes) in the world.
Okay, then drop the D out of it, she can shoot, and she would get space in the right offense to have that opportunity. It would be an impressive achievement, but I doubt it ever happens unless women start developing their physique and verticals to the point where they are able to withstand 20+ minutes of action against guys that weight over 200 and jump like deer
Hell they don't even use the same size basketball.
It really does make a difference. I remember the first time I came across a women's basketball. I was amazed. I thought, "Wow! This basketball is amazing! I throw up prayers and they still go in!" I would do turn-around fadeaways, barely even looking, and I must have made something like 38 out of 40 shots.
I'm sure Elena Delle Donne could still shoot reasonably well with a men's basketball. But a 94% career free throw shooter? C'mon. Steph Curry, widely considered the greatest shooter of all-time, is at 90.5%.
It absolutely makes a difference. If you think it doesn't then explain why the change was made in the first place.
Kobe is right. I "could" play in the NBA also, if there weren't thousands of people who are better.
Random info- Taurasis wife is her assistant coach.
Random info- Taurasis wife is her assistant coach.
