Baylor's Brittney Griner has so clearly dominated women's college basketball that Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he was willing to take a chance on drafting her in the second round of this year's draft.
"If she is the best on the board, I will take her," Cuban told ESPN. "I've thought about it. I've thought about it already. Would I do it? Right now, I'd lean toward yes, just to see if she can do it. You never know unless you give somebody a chance, and it's not like the likelihood of any late-50s draft pick has a good chance of making it."
Although Cuban said it's hard to know how'd she'd fare against men, he said he was serious about inviting her to play this summer with the team in the NBA's summer league in Las Vegas and loves the marketing potential.
"That'd sell out a few games," he said.
Griner, who is second in all-time scoring among NCAA women and first in blocks in men's and women's hoops, is confident she won't be out of place on the same court as future NBA Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitski. Although the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA has shown interest in making Griner the first pick in the draft on April 15, Griner is not ruling out her interest in the potential NBA offer.
"I would hold my own! Lets do it." she wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.
This wouldn't be the first time a woman has tried out for an NBA team. In 1979, Ann Meyers tried out for the Pacers and in 1981, Nancy Lieberman got a shot with the Lakers.
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While Griner has received support from professional athletes the likes of Robert Griffin III, Duke's women's head coach Joanne P. McAllie doesn't see it happening any time soon.
"Ha, ha, funny, funny, that was my reaction," McAllie told the LA Times. "No way. I respect the strength and speed of those guys. There is simply no way on Earth that will happen. It's a silly thing. Let's be who we are. Let's be really good at who we are. And your validation does come through Mark Cuban's offer. I appreciate Mark Cuban watching the game but let's not forget who we are."
Griner, who stands at 6-foot-8, but would probably be best served as a small forward in the NBA, but lacks the speed many have at the position. She said she'd have to change her game in order to succeed in men's basketball.
"They are strong, definitely bigger than me," Griner told the LA Times. "I would have to, as you say, man-up. But I've never backed down from a challenge, and I never will. If I get an elbow to the chest from one of those big guys, hey, at least I can say I was there and tried it."
