“Thanasis would drop 40 on her”: Fan’s proposal to allow Caitlin Clark to play in the NBA leaves basketball world in shambles
Caitlin Clark is an exceptional player, and there is no doubting this. But is she good enough for the NBA? This was the question that set the NBA world off today, as a fan posted their opinion, saying that people would be crazy to think that Caitlin Clark could not play in the NBA.
Other fans, however, did not agree with them. Some decided to poke fun at this by drawing comparisons to Caitlin Clark and some NBA stars.
At the same time, many pointed out the different styles of play between both leagues, especially defensively. Some also added that physically, it would be impossible for Caitlin Clark to keep up with the big men.
Looking at this Caitlin Clark debate may make one wonder if there have been women in the NBA. And the answer to that is, almost. twice in the history of the league, women came close to playing.
The first was in 1969, when Denise Long was drafted by the Golden State Warriors straight out of Iowa’s Union-Whitten High School at just 19 years old.
However, NBA Commissioner Walter Kennedy vetoed this because the NBA did not allow women or players straight from high school to be drafted.
The next time it happened was in 1977, when Luisa Harris was drafted as the 137th pick by the New Orleans Jazz. Harris was a phenomenal player who led the Lady Statemen to 3 NCAA titles.
Still, Harris declined to try out for the Jazz as she was pregnant at the time and could not participate in the training camp. However, she still excelled in her basketball career besides the NBA, having played for the Houston Angels in the Women’s Professional Basketball League for the 1979–80 season.
In 1992, she became the first black woman and the first female college player to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The two most prominent women's drafts in the NBA ended on a sad note. But the question still remains. And a former basketball player has an answer to it.
Iman Shumpert on whether women can play in the NBA
In a conversation with VladTV, Shumpert shared that it would be difficult for players to transition from the WNBA to the NBA. This, he claimed, was because the men's league has a more aggressive playing style with pushes and blocks.
At the same time, he shared that if girls were trained with boys right from the school level, then the adjustment to the style would make them more fit to play in the big league right away.
What do you think about this? Let us know in the comment section.
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