One of the common themes of media day at All-Star Weekend on Saturday was women’s basketball. The WNBA is in the middle of a hectic free agency period with several big names changing teams, including Kristi Toliver re-joining the LA Sparks.
LeBron James was one of several players asked about women’s basketball, particularly his advice to little girls (including his daughter Zhuri) playing basketball and the Los Angeles Lakers star delivered with an amazing answer (h/t Bleacher Report’s Ari Chambers who asked the question):
“Well, let me give advice to a little girl, instead of my daughter, because I don’t want my wife to hear that. She’s like, ‘It’s not happening.’ It’s not about a little girl or a little boy or whatever the case may be. If you want to play, then you got to put the work into it. There really can’t be much excuse. You don’t need much to play the game of basketball. My first basketball hoop literally was a milk crate that I cut the bottom out of and nailed it to a telephone pole. Just play it as much as you can, learn about it as much as you can, watch it. You know, I was watching the game of basketball when I was a kid when I wasn’t able to play it but just trying to learn. Learning from the best. Seeing the intricate parts of the game. How important a bounce pass is. How important a chest pass is. How important being a good teammate and things of that nature.
This game, it’s the most beautiful game in the world and it gives back to you what you commit to it and you put all your passion and your love and your joy and your cry and everything. I wish that little girl the best. I hope if she’s playing right now and she’s 13, 14, whatever years of age, I hope she continues to be great and she can inspire my daughter. Much respect to women’s basketball, too.”
James has been a major advocate for women’s basketball for some time and has relationships with many of the WNBA’s brightest talents. While the sport is growing, there are still a lot of hurdles necessary to overcome in order to get to a level of equality between the women’s and men’s games. Having a strong voice like LeBron’s backing the women in that fight is a huge catalyst as they continue to strive towards that goal.
Beyond that, LeBron James has always been outspoken about his desire to inspire and influence kids with his work on and off the basketball court and it truly has been the biggest accomplishment of an incredibly successful career. This is just the latest example but a crucial and well-executed one.
LeBron James Says Two Trophies Should’ve Been Awarded For Dunk Contest
There was some controversy at the 2020 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest after Miami Heat’s Derrick Jones Jr. beat Orlando Magic’s Aaron Gordon in the competition.
Gordon had five dunks that scored perfect 50s. In the final round, a double-tiebreaker, he jumped over 7-foot-5 Tacko Fall, but was only awarded a 47 by the judges.
Jones edged Gordon by one point on his final jam, scoring a 48 on a windmill dunk off a leap from just inside the free throw line.
Many people thought that Gordon and Jones should’ve tied for the win, including LeBron James, who posted his thoughts on Twitter on Saturday.
Gordon also felt as though he were robbed of the win.
“Jumping over somebody 7-foot-5 and dunking is no easy feat,” Gordon told reporters Saturday evening. “What did I get, like a 47? Come on, man. What are we doing?”
Gordon, who also came in second in the dunk contest in 2016, said he’s done with the event.
“It’s a wrap, bro. It’s a wrap,” Gordon said. “I feel like I should have two trophies.”
Lakers’ center Dwight Howard was eliminated after doing two dunks, including one in which he donned a Superman cape and honored Kobe Bryant with a No. 24 on his chest. Howard, who won the competition in 2008, patted his chest multiple times before making an alley-oop right-handed jam off a pass from Jameer Nelson, earning a 49 from the judges. His first dunk scored a 41.
Before Bryant died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, he had agreed to participate in the dunk contest alongside Howard.
“He was going to do something for me in the dunk contest, which is kind of heartbreaking,” Howard said after the Lakers played San Antonio on Feb. 4. “It’s been on my mind everyday. Man, I can’t believe it. I’m still in shock. It hurts. It’s tough. I just never thought that somebody like that would be gone.”
