Recent viewers
Hall of Famer
TheBigLead.com is learning that NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal recently proposed changes to the Women’s National Basketball Association’s (WNBA) on-court regulations to boost viewership and player salaries. “I’m not saying lowering it to 9.5, just 9.9,” O’Neal said in reference to potential adjustments to the height of the basketball hoop. O’Neal is credited with 2,626 career regular-season dunks in the NBA, ranking him second all-time behind Dwight Howard, who has 2,950 career dunks. In this slideshow, we take a closer look at O’Neal’s argument for the WNBA.
During his career
O’Neal, who has broken numerous backboards during his career, emphasized that dunks are key to attracting fans. The average height of an NBA player is 6’6″ while the average WNBA player is 6-feet tall. “The only thing that’s missing is the dunk,” he said, acknowledging that players like Lisa Leslie and Brittney Griner have dunked in previous games.
Recent viewers
“People would tune in to watch things they have never seen before,” O’Neal said, citing Caitlin Clark’s long-range shooting as an example of what has drawn recent viewers.
Pretty girl dunking
“Bro, a pretty girl dunking on the rim, I’m watching that all day,” O’Neal pressed.
Women dunking
Angel Reese, forward for the Chicago Sky, criticized O’Neal’s proposal and argued that women dunking wasn’t going to make much of a difference.
Good enough
“I feel like it still wouldn’t be good enough, it’s never good enough,” Reese said.
People always disrespect
“People always disrespect women regardless; they are always going to not give us the same value as a man. So I don’t think that,” Reese concluded.