The WNBA recently announced they will be lowering basketball rims from the typical 10 feet rims they’ve been using for the past 19 seasons. Once news got out, UCONN legend Diana Taurasi had some choice words about the decision. The nine-time WNBA All-1st team champion sarcastically suggested they “might as well put us in skirts and back in the kitchen.”
Recent WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne feels different, remarking lowering rims is a great idea for the game of women’s basketball and for the fans. The Chicago Sky superstar had this to say:
I think it would bring a whole different aspect to the game and bring viewership as well and show the athleticism of our women. We do every single thing on that court that the men do, other than the dunking. And, obviously, there is a handful of athletes who can dunk.
But when you look at other sports like volleyball, their net’s lower. Golf, their tees are closer. It goes on and on. Tennis, they play [fewer] sets. Why not lower our rim and let every single player in the league play above the rim like the NBA can?
Even Taurasi’s college coach, Geno Auriemma agreed with the decision. Let’s just hope his creates the fan buzz the WNBA been searching for which has been missing since their golden years when the great Cynthia Cooper, Lisa Leslie, Teresa Weatherspoon and Chamique Holdsclaw suited it up on the hardwood floor.
