Every recorded Dunk in WNBA history

[Dr Aki]

average height of an NBA player is what? 6'6"?

average height of an WNBA player is what" 6'0"?

i think if you lower the rims by the same half a foot, there'd be an explosion of dunks and probably a better product

[art_tatum]

Lower the rims to 9 ft. You can bet the NBA would lose a lot of viewership if the avg height is the same as the WNBA.
There also needs to be a curry or someone in the WNBA if they can't have many dunks

[D.Brasco]

average height of an NBA player is what? 6'6"?

average height of an WNBA player is what" 6'0"?

i think if you lower the rims by the same half a foot, there'd be an explosion of dunks and probably a better product

It's not a terrible idea, volleyball has a lower net for women but it'd have to start literally at the elementary and even playground level to make this change work. As girls grow up playing on 10' rims like boys do and just lowering the rims for women who spent 90% of their lives hooping on 10' rims would likely mess up their shots and flow.

[shangrila]

Most of the time there is a WNBA thread on the GB it's open trolling or concern trolling with half the posters in the thread using it as an opportunity to mock the WNBA.
Given that the disparity of dunks between the NBA and WNBA are often a point to mock the WNBA by people I have to wonder why this thread was made.
Hopefully people stick to talking about basketball instead of mocking the athletes in the WNBA but I wouldn't count on it.

It's not so much comparing the number of dunks to the NBA but that one player alone Britney Griner dominates that list as much as she has. Of all the dunks recorded in the WNBA's 25 year history she has 70% of them! I'm surprised that stat isn't more well known. I don't think George Mikan or Wilt had that much level of physical dominance over their competition.

I don't watch much WNBA but she has to be an absolute physical outlier in that game.

It's not that impressive when you realise she's one of a handful of players in that league's entire history that is physically capable of dunking. Even less so when you realise it's just because she's tall.

For all the complaints that WNBA threads get trolled here, I mean...what do you expect? It is an inferior product and this is an NBA forum. There's not really a place for it here, in the same way that NBL threads would get mocked for example.

Now maybe we should have a WNBA subforum somewhere for those that enjoy it, I'm actually surprised we don't. But don't bring it to General and expect everyone to either love it or stay silent.

[SerialChiller]

I'd actually watch WNBA if they could play above the rim a bit. Lower the damn nets! I don't care about those players who are against it...they are already playing with a shorter 3pt line and smaller ball lol. It only makes sense and will make it real basketball.

[whitehops]

It's not a terrible idea, volleyball has a lower net for women but it'd have to start literally at the elementary and even playground level to make this change work. As girls grow up playing on 10' rims like boys do and just lowering the rims for women who spent 90% of their lives hooping on 10' rims would likely mess up their shots and flow.

honestly not sure why they didn't start with 9 foot rims to be honest, especially because women have a smaller ball so it was recognized that there were changes that could be made to equipment.

maybe because it's easier to use the same poles/net for men's and women's heights? whereas basketball nets are fixed and so you'd literally need separate courts to have lower rims for women.

[D.Brasco]

It's not a terrible idea, volleyball has a lower net for women but it'd have to start literally at the elementary and even playground level to make this change work. As girls grow up playing on 10' rims like boys do and just lowering the rims for women who spent 90% of their lives hooping on 10' rims would likely mess up their shots and flow.

honestly not sure why they didn't start with 9 foot rims to be honest, especially because women have a smaller ball so it was recognized that there were changes that could be made to equipment.

maybe because it's easier to use the same poles/net for men's and women's heights? whereas basketball nets are fixed and so you'd literally need separate courts to have lower rims for women.

This is probably it. Girls athletics tends to have funding issues and anything that would make a sport more expensive is usually a no go.

[jwood255]

I literally don't think that the adjustment from 10' to 9' is that big of a deal. Whenever I play on 9' rims, it only takes a few shots before you adjust. Not a big deal. They should def lower the rims.

And this is an obvious one no one wants to address for obvious reasons but why do men (even those not interested in the sport) find women's volleyball or women's tennis appealing? Hint hint. Nearly 70% of WNBA viewers are men. Switch up the jerseys to make them more...appealing.

[JN61]

Didn't one young girl dunk in WNBA this year? Or was it during warmups. I remember NBA posting about it.

[JN61]

I literally don't think that the adjustment from 10' to 9' is that big of a deal. Whenever I play on 9' rims, it only takes a few shots before you adjust. Not a big deal. They should def lower the rims.

And this is an obvious one no one wants to address for obvious reasons but why do men (even those not interested in the sport) find women's volleyball or women's tennis appealing? Hint hint. Nearly 70% of WNBA viewers are men. Switch up the jerseys to make them more...appealing.

You don't need to sexualize the sport. Women's sports have suffered long enough with ridiculous outfit requirements like the beach volleyball or tennis.

[JN61]

It's not a terrible idea, volleyball has a lower net for women but it'd have to start literally at the elementary and even playground level to make this change work. As girls grow up playing on 10' rims like boys do and just lowering the rims for women who spent 90% of their lives hooping on 10' rims would likely mess up their shots and flow.

honestly not sure why they didn't start with 9 foot rims to be honest, especially because women have a smaller ball so it was recognized that there were changes that could be made to equipment.

maybe because it's easier to use the same poles/net for men's and women's heights? whereas basketball nets are fixed and so you'd literally need separate courts to have lower rims for women.

All modern basketball boards support lowering them with a crank (there are just few long screw rods behind for the movement). We do it all the time for junior basketball.

Modern as anything manufactured since mid 90s basically. The place must have purchased something totally home made not to have those features in indoors products.

[SNPA]

Is dunking important? Would the WNBA product be better if they played on 9 foot rims?

Assuming this is a genuine questions - in theory I believe it would help the entertainment value for the masses. The ball is already smaller and the 3 pt line is closer. More than any sport, basketball at the pro level in the US displays out of this world athleticism. The women's game is very sound at a technical level. There is a reason why pro and semi-pro basketball players appreciate women's basketball so much more than the general public as compared to other sports. However, most fans have grown to see the game through the lens of athleticism and so can't really identify it. Race is also definitely a factor but I don't want to derail this conversation. However, there are two rebuttals against lowering the nets, both very legitimate:

1. Most women don't want the net lowered and they should have the final say in their sport
2. Youth rims are by and large not adjustable so you can't have the adjustment go down all the way to the grassroots level, thus limiting effectiveness and access

So, end of the day this is a moot proposal and we need to appreciate (and the WNBA needs to learn) to promote the Women's game as currently played.

Did the male players get the final say in rim height? I understand why female pro players who have always played on 10 rims don’t want to switch. But this should be about the game, not the current crop of players. It is better for the game long term to have rims that are parallel in reach to mens so the aesthetics of the game are similar. Who wouldn’t want to see a female player roll down the lane and yam it on someone’s head and Shaun Kemp style point at them? The volume of WNBA posters on kids walls would double over night.

As for the infrastructure argument, you got to start somewhere sometime. There can be brackets made to adjust existing infrastructure too.

The NBA is totally wasting a great asset. Half the potential customers are women. Invest a bit, give it a few years and watch girls that would have gone to volleyball or gymnastics or tennis stay with basketball and have the athletic visual entertainment value of the sport explode.

[Dr Aki]

It's not a terrible idea, volleyball has a lower net for women but it'd have to start literally at the elementary and even playground level to make this change work. As girls grow up playing on 10' rims like boys do and just lowering the rims for women who spent 90% of their lives hooping on 10' rims would likely mess up their shots and flow.

honestly not sure why they didn't start with 9 foot rims to be honest, especially because women have a smaller ball so it was recognized that there were changes that could be made to equipment.

maybe because it's easier to use the same poles/net for men's and women's heights? whereas basketball nets are fixed and so you'd literally need separate courts to have lower rims for women.

All modern basketball boards support lowering them with a crank (there are just few long screw rods behind for the movement). We do it all the time for junior basketball.

Modern as anything manufactured since mid 90s basically. The place must have purchased something totally home made not to have those features in indoors products.

Your average joe would probably appreciate not having to jump as hard to get to the 10 ft rim as well on the street ball court

Just have one court with lower rims off to one side

[whitehops]

All modern basketball boards support lowering them with a crank (there are just few long screw rods behind for the movement). We do it all the time for junior basketball.

Modern as anything manufactured since mid 90s basically. The place must have purchased something totally home made not to have those features in indoors products.

i remember my elementary school having those rims on the sides of the court. but in almost every high school/university i've been in the rims are fixed at 10 feet and have the arms raise the backboards to the ceiling to make room for volleyball.

and that's not even factoring in public (outdoor) courts.

[dk1115]

So I'm really starting to think. Do most of us play like WNBA players?

[ForeverTFC]

Is dunking important? Would the WNBA product be better if they played on 9 foot rims?

Assuming this is a genuine questions - in theory I believe it would help the entertainment value for the masses. The ball is already smaller and the 3 pt line is closer. More than any sport, basketball at the pro level in the US displays out of this world athleticism. The women's game is very sound at a technical level. There is a reason why pro and semi-pro basketball players appreciate women's basketball so much more than the general public as compared to other sports. However, most fans have grown to see the game through the lens of athleticism and so can't really identify it. Race is also definitely a factor but I don't want to derail this conversation. However, there are two rebuttals against lowering the nets, both very legitimate:

1. Most women don't want the net lowered and they should have the final say in their sport
2. Youth rims are by and large not adjustable so you can't have the adjustment go down all the way to the grassroots level, thus limiting effectiveness and access

So, end of the day this is a moot proposal and we need to appreciate (and the WNBA needs to learn) to promote the Women's game as currently played.

Did the male players get the final say in rim height? I understand why female pro players who have always played on 10 rims don’t want to switch. But this should be about the game, not the current crop of players. It is better for the game long term to have rims that are parallel in reach to mens so the aesthetics of the game are similar. Who wouldn’t want to see a female player roll down the lane and yam it on someone’s head and Shaun Kemp style point at them? The volume of WNBA posters on kids walls would double over night.

As for the infrastructure argument, you got to start somewhere sometime. There can be brackets made to adjust existing infrastructure too.

The NBA is totally wasting a great asset. Half the potential customers are women. Invest a bit, give it a few years and watch girls that would have gone to volleyball or gymnastics or tennis stay with basketball and have the athletic visual entertainment value of the sport explode.

Adjusting the infrastructure is not so easy. Most school rims are fixed and let's not even start on outdoor courts which you just can't make adjustable. Even in the ideal world where we took an earnest effort to make all rims adjustable, it would take 5-10 years and would limit access for a generation of kids.

Given basketball was invented by a man, yes I would say male players did get the say in the rim height. I don't necessarily agree that suggesting lowering the rims is sexist, but this really isn't about me. It's about women who play basketball as a craft and so I think they should get to dictate the direction of said craft.

[Texas Chuck]

So I'm really starting to think. Do most of us play like WNBA players?

No, most of us are much, much worse. Do we mostly collectively play below the rim? Yes, I would say that's absolutely true.

[SNPA]

Assuming this is a genuine questions - in theory I believe it would help the entertainment value for the masses. The ball is already smaller and the 3 pt line is closer. More than any sport, basketball at the pro level in the US displays out of this world athleticism. The women's game is very sound at a technical level. There is a reason why pro and semi-pro basketball players appreciate women's basketball so much more than the general public as compared to other sports. However, most fans have grown to see the game through the lens of athleticism and so can't really identify it. Race is also definitely a factor but I don't want to derail this conversation. However, there are two rebuttals against lowering the nets, both very legitimate:

1. Most women don't want the net lowered and they should have the final say in their sport
2. Youth rims are by and large not adjustable so you can't have the adjustment go down all the way to the grassroots level, thus limiting effectiveness and access

So, end of the day this is a moot proposal and we need to appreciate (and the WNBA needs to learn) to promote the Women's game as currently played.

Did the male players get the final say in rim height? I understand why female pro players who have always played on 10 rims don’t want to switch. But this should be about the game, not the current crop of players. It is better for the game long term to have rims that are parallel in reach to mens so the aesthetics of the game are similar. Who wouldn’t want to see a female player roll down the lane and yam it on someone’s head and Shaun Kemp style point at them? The volume of WNBA posters on kids walls would double over night.

As for the infrastructure argument, you got to start somewhere sometime. There can be brackets made to adjust existing infrastructure too.

The NBA is totally wasting a great asset. Half the potential customers are women. Invest a bit, give it a few years and watch girls that would have gone to volleyball or gymnastics or tennis stay with basketball and have the athletic visual entertainment value of the sport explode.

Adjusting the infrastructure is not so easy. Most school rims are fixed and let's not even start on outdoor courts which you just can't make adjustable. Even in the ideal world where we took an earnest effort to make all rims adjustable, it would take 5-10 years and would limit access for a generation of kids.

Given basketball was invented by a man, yes I would say male players did get the say in the rim height. I don't necessarily agree that suggesting lowering the rims is sexist, but this really isn't about me. It's about women who play basketball as a craft and so I think they should get to dictate the direction of said craft.

But it’s not. Yes, it’s a sport and the game should be respected but the WNBA is a business and having the women’s league be above the rim would be great for business…and I would argue the sport as well. Lowering the rim levels the playing field. There is not really a good argument against it other than pro female players not wanting to adjust. But what about all the girls out there who would like a chance to play above the rim and have the fame and fortune that a greatly expanded audience would supply?

The infrastructure part will take time. But so what…it’s not a reason to not start.

[Harry Garris]

Most of the time there is a WNBA thread on the GB it's open trolling or concern trolling with half the posters in the thread using it as an opportunity to mock the WNBA.
Given that the disparity of dunks between the NBA and WNBA are often a point to mock the WNBA by people I have to wonder why this thread was made.
Hopefully people stick to talking about basketball instead of mocking the athletes in the WNBA but I wouldn't count on it.

I don't understand the point of it either. In a men's league where the players had comparable height and athletic ability you wouldn't see many dunks either.

I get that men have a physical advantage when it comes to some sports because being taller and having more muscle mass helps but... it's not because men did something to deserve it. It comes down to genetics. Feeling superior because of immutable physical characteristics that you were just born with and have no control over is silly.

[Texas Chuck]

It's not that impressive when you realise she's one of a handful of players in that league's entire history that is physically capable of dunking. Even less so when you realise it's just because she's tall.

For all the complaints that WNBA threads get trolled here, I mean...what do you expect? It is an inferior product and this is an NBA forum. There's not really a place for it here, in the same way that NBL threads would get mocked for example.

Now maybe we should have a WNBA subforum somewhere for those that enjoy it, I'm actually surprised we don't. But don't bring it to General and expect everyone to either love it or stay silent.

The OP didn't expect that. Or if they did, they didn't express that so we needn't assume it. This poster found that Griner stat interesting. You didn't. Okay.

To each their own, but I would find a relatively uninteresting topic far less offensive than the 70% or so of GB threads that are just absurd hot takes based on tiny sample sizes or are intentional trolls of the same handful of players.