Experts: Women in NBA Long Way Off

CATONSVILLE, Md. -- Phil Stern had the look. You know the one. It's the one where someone suggests something so patently absurd that you want to scoff, but living in a polite society precludes it.

Stern, the coach of Maryland-Baltimore County's women's basketball, drew that countenance when it was relayed to him that Commissioner David Stern had recently posited that the day would soon come where a woman could play in his league.

And Stern, the Retrievers coach for the last eight years, has been in the women's game for over two decades. He's seen where the sport was and has a pretty good handle on where it's headed.

And, in his mind, it's not heading towards a woman lacing them up in the NBA.

"I got into this 20 years ago, and we're so much further along,' said Stern, who took UMBC to the NCAA tournament in 2008. "But I don't think we're at the point where someone's going to go play against LeBron (James) and those guys so it's probably a ways off."

"It's a great conversation to have. It's probably great for talk radio one day. It's probably great marketing for David Stern to say that, but it's way down the road."

In a conversation with Sports Illustrated writer Ian Thomsen, Stern, when asked if it would be possible to see a woman play in the NBA in the next decade, said "I think we might. I don't want to get into all kinds of arguments with players and coaches about the likelihood. But I really think it's a good possibility."

It didn't take long for a number of NBA players, including James himself to cast doubt on the notion.

Indeed, Cleveland reserve Anthony Parker, whose sister Candace (above) is considered one of the world's best female players and among a handful of women to dunk in a college game, doesn't see it happening.

"I do not think there will ever be a day that a woman would play in the NBA. The only way I could see something like that happening would be for some type of publicity stunt."
- Anonymous
WNBA Player "First of all, I don't see why, other than to say a woman can do it," Anthony Parker said. "But for long term? No way. My sister is a good player and has great skill, but as far as making an NBA roster? No. She's 6-4, which is the average height of a shooting guard. I'm never going to say never."

The topic is apparently radioactive enough that of a group of seven women's coaches, broadcasters and WNBA players contacted by FanHouse for comment on this idea, only one player, who requested anonymity, replied.

The player, who has won an NCAA championship and a WNBA award in her career, was adamant that she couldn't envision a woman playing in the NBA.

"I do not think there will ever be a day that a woman would play in the NBA," said the player. "The only way I could see something like that happening would be for some type of publicity stunt."

From a skill level, the idea isn't so preposterous. Women shoot and handle the ball better now than ever and female players have occasionally won collegiate long distance shootouts over men at equal distances.

However, there are a couple of important differences between the two games that appear to make a flood of women to the NBA unlikely in the short term.

One is that male basketball players are, on average, taller than women. As Anthony Parker pointed out, his sister, Candace, a power forward or post player in the women's game, would only be a guard in the NBA.

And that leads to the second, and most important difference between the games, the physicality.

The anonymous WNBA player said she believes Parker, Chicago center Sylvia Fowles and Indiana forward Tamika Catchings, who are all stars in the WNBA, would be "ineffective" in the NBA because of the size and strength of the male players.

"Men are just physically stronger, faster, and can jump higher than women," said the WNBA player. "Even though someone like Fowles who is 6-6 is a different breed of player, you have players in the NBA (and not even in the NBA) who are 6-6 guards and can do so much more than Sylvia can."

Going forward, Phil Stern said, a woman who could combine the strength of University of Connecticut center Tina Charles, the speed of a smaller guard and the skill set of Delaware redshirt freshman Elena Delle Donne, could have a shot to make it in the NBA, provided she could beat out the thousands of men who don't quite make it in the league.

"That's a good way to look at it,' said Phil Stern. "Think of how many guys who don't get a chance to play in the NBA. Delle Donne is incredible ... and she's a great player, but could she play in the NBA? Not now. That's a ways away, I think."

Indeed, Delle Donne, who, at 6-foot-5, a height normally reserved for frontcourt players in the women's game, can handle, shoot and pass the ball like a guard, would appear to have the kind of profile suitable for a woman trying to make it in the NBA.

Her box score line of 20 points (including two three-pointers), eight rebounds, four assists and four blocks in Delaware's 70-61 win over UMBC Saturday hints at her versatility.

Her coach, Tina Martin, however, scoffs at the notion that any woman can handle the physical demands of the NBA.

"Coming off the screens and the way that they (the NBA players) do and a lot of one-on-one isolations, it would be hard for female players to turn the corner with guys with guys like Dwyane Wade as strong as he is pushing and shoving you," said Martin. "I just don't see female athletes being able to handle the physicality and just the mere strength of the NBA players."

Martin, who would not make Delle Donne available for comment, would just as soon not let David Stern's musings get in the way of her freshman being a freshman.

"She's never talked about the NBA or anything like that," said Martin. "People can dream, but I just think it's unrealistic."