One of the more entertaining figures in all of sports is Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. Sitting courtside for every Dallas game, Cuban isn't afraid to voice his opinions, no matter how controversial.
Speaking to ESPN reporters before his Mavericks took on the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night, Cuban once again sparked a conversation piece, this time regarding Baylor University women's basketball player Brittney Griner. "If she is the best on the board, I will take her," the 54-year-old owner said regarding the possibility of drafting Griner in this year's NBA Draft, "you never know unless you give somebody a chance."
Of course there is also the higher probability that Griner plays in the WNBA. The Phoenix Mercury hold the top pick in the upcoming draft are expected to take the Baylor senior.
Griner and her Bears were recently upset by the Louisville Cardinals last Sunday in the NCAA Women's basketball tournament but the 6'8" senior has plenty to be proud of in what was a stellar career.
With an immediate impact on the Baylor basketball program, Griner helped pace the Bears to four-consecutive NCAA tournament appearances including a 2012 perfect season that culminated with a National Championship. In four years at Baylor, Griner started all 145 games she appeared in, scored well over 3,000 points and recorded just under 800 blocks. In another impressive stat, Griner never shot below 50% from the field in any seasons.
Since Mark Cuban is into anything that will market himself, the Maverick franchise and whatever that will bring in loads of cash, perhaps the thing that attracts him to Griner the most is the fact that she is a female basketball player who can dunk, and dunk on a consistent basis. After all, she did throw down 11 dunks during her senior campaign. Dunks are certainly crowd pleasers and having a female in the NBA who can dunk would certainly bring the fans in.
During the same interview with ESPN, Cuban noted that even if Griner is not selected in the upcoming draft, there would still be an opportunity for her to break into the league. "It would, wouldn't it? See how she could do," said Cuban regarding the possibility of Griner playing in the NBA's Summer League.
How does Griner feel about the possibility of playing in the NBA? "I would hold my own. Let's do it," she posted on her Twitter account. Whether it's to Phoenix in the WNBA or any team in the NBA, it has to be extremely exciting for Griner to know she'll be playing pro basketball at some level very soon.
The game of basketball continues to grow thanks to players like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant. The addition of another superstar from the collegiate circles, ESPECIALLY a woman in Brittney Griner, would not only help the game continue to grow it would also boost ratings, media buzz and ticket sales.
In the case of Mark Cuban, don't ticket sales equal dollar signs? Come on Mark, make it happen!
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