Last Sunday evening, NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’ Neal utilized his Instagram to re-suggest his opinion that the WNBA should lower the rims. The reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson was the most notable player to reject support for his suggestion.
Shaqs unsolicited suggestion for the WNBA rejected again
Shaq’s rim-lowering proposal dates to 2021 when he brought the topic up to WNBA great Candace Parker. Her facial expressions and banter appeared to reflect displeasure with his remark.
Shaq backed the opinion up in his Instagram post with a claim that “60% of the fans said Dunking their favorite thing.” He did not make it clear there was a specific survey he was referencing. This comment could be a made-up estimation.
Shaq’s reasoning could be backed up by logic. Women’s basketball players have been unable to evolve their game to regularly dunk in games. Eight WNBA stars have accumulated a total of 37 dunks in games. Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury has accounted for 26 of those and none of the other seven players have more than two
Logic also defeats the argument. Three days before Shaq’s post, Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson was on The Roommates Show and discussed this topic. Wilson spoke with the hosts, NBA players Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, and delivered a strong point about why the rim shouldn’t be lowered. It would change everyone’s shots!
The rim is raised to a 10-foot height mark everywhere in the world besides with small children. Changing the rim height in the WNBA would hurt the league’s shooting percentages and bring a possible disadvantage to those players in international and amateur play.
Another strong point is that women’s basketball hit a turning point this year. Television and streaming ratings skyrocketed when the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year, Caitlin Clark, was playing. This trend followed from her time playing for the University of Iowa.
Women’s basketball has become more popular due to the increase in talent from these skilled athletes.
There is no guarantee that a handicap will make the game more popular or enjoyable to watch. Exceptional highlights can be made without dunking and women’s basketball has survived without it.
