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Since leaving the Denver Nuggets, Michael Porter Jr. has not been a stranger to some controversial comments online during appearances on various podcasts. The topics that the Brooklyn Nets star covers on those podcasts are varied, and now he has made some additional comments relating to the WNBA and women’s basketball that have drawn attention online.
Lonzo Ball and Michael Porter Jr. Claim They Would Have Dominated The WNBA As High Schoolers
While there is, of course, a skill and a physicality gap between the NBA and the WNBA, many players have been asked what would happen if a player from either league made the jump to the other. That has been a constant conversation for years now, dating back to 2016 when Brittney Griner confidently stated that she could take on then-All-Star Demarcus Cousins in a 1-on-1 battle.
Cousins firmly but confidently respected Griner and her game, but turned down the idea that a player from the WNBA could take on a center of his size in the NBA. This has led to years of debate about the talent level in the WNBA compared to the men’s game, with others, such as A’ja Wilson, expressing confidence in competing against the elite men in the sport.
Then, that topic was once again brought up when long-time NBA guard Patrick Beverley stated he believed the Las Vegas Aces, led by multi-time MVP Wilson, could take on an NBA bench and come out victorious.
“I’m having my way, I look up, I’m watching the game anyway. I leave early cuz I know the Aces gonna win. I got a bottle of wine, grab my phone, and I go, you know what, I’m looking at this team, I’m looking at Becky Hammon, I’m looking at A’ja Wilson, and I’m looking at the way they won the game, and I’m like, ‘I think they can beat an NBA team.’”
He added, “And when I said that, I mean an NBA team, but obviously not the starters. I mean like bench players 6,7,8,9,10. For sure!”
On a recent episode of the Ball in the Family podcast with Lonzo Ball, Ball and special guest Michael Porter Jr. addressed the constant debate, as well as Beverley’s comments. Given that both are still in the NBA, they not only expressed their belief that Beverley is wrong, but claimed they would have taken down a WNBA team while in the eighth and ninth grades.
Michael Porter Jr. said, “You know what’s crazy? Pat Bev said that a WNBA team could beat the bench players of an NBA team.”
To which Lonzo Ball added, “I’m going to give you the most honest answer, right now. I know MPJ feels the same way. I don’t know if he said this or not but I’m going to speak my peace. I mean this as respectfully as possible but 9th grade Lonzo Ball in the WNBA is going crazy!”
While some NBA players are late bloomers, most reach their growth spurts before ninth grade, with Ball revealing he could already dunk before then, having done things then that are still not done in the WNBA.
“So, I would say after 9th grade no. Before that, look in 9th grade I was over six feet and I’m dunking. I’m coming through the lane. No girl in the WNBA is doing that. I’m going back door, throw it up. I’m looking like Jordan out there. I’m just going to say and I mean this respectfully, middle school down I give it to the WNBA.”
Then, Porter Jr. drew on his own personal experiences, citing his time with his sisters playing at the University of Missouri, where he revealed that he had battled several WNBA players during practice.
“I’m probably going with 8th grade because I have real experience doing this. I played my sisters. They played at The University of Missouri and I was still a young kid. They had me playing on the scout team and they had a few WNBA players on their team like, Sophie Cunningham and a couple others. I was in the 7th or 8th grade going crazy.”
The current Brooklyn Nets star then urged fans and analysts to exercise some common sense, as most of the players Beverley believes could be beaten by WNBA teams are physically advantaged over the women.
“So, I have real life experience. It’s just a difference and I wish this would stop being a conversation because it should be common sense. I appreciate common sense. I feel sometimes that’s lost a little bit.”
On the surface, it may be an outlandish statement, but given that most NBA players are over 6′ tall by the time they reach high school, the physical advantages would begin even back then.
There’s no disrespect in either comment, but since both players were dunking at that age and already had significant physical advantages, it’s easy to see why they think they’re right. In the end, we’ll never truly know how a WNBA team would fare against men’s competition. What we do know is that both leagues have elite talent; both deserve strong support from fans.
