Over the years, the NCAA has been the recipient of harsh backlashes for undervaluing women’s basketball. The NCAA has ignored its core value of “diversity, inclusion, and gender equity.” In stark contrast to their male counterparts, female athletes are underrepresented in facilities, resources and opportunities. This has sparked a heated discussion over gender discrimination in the sports industry.

LeBron James and Stephen Curry are just two NBA legends who have utilized their platforms to draw attention to these problems. Recently, having listened to the pleas, the NCAA took a major stride towards gender equality in sports.

NCAA introduces a historic initiative for girls’ basketball

In March 2021, Ali Kershner, the women’s basketball and golf sports performance coach at Stanford University, emphasized the stark difference between the men’s and women’s weight rooms at the NCAA bubbles in San Antonio and Indianapolis.

She posted a video on Twitter, demonstrating the significant contrast which showed that the men’s facility was not only bigger but also better furnished with a wider variety of training options.

Kershner started the discourse on the treatment of female athletes. The topic bought criticism against the NCAA. But recently, the NCAA has made a move in response to it.

According to AP News, the NCAA, in partnership with USA Basketball, sponsored its very first event devoted to girls’ basketball. It launched its first-ever girls’ basketball academy. The tournament took place at the Memphis Sports and Expo Center. It was a success as it drew in the best high school athletes from throughout the country.

The girls’ basketball academy will include a thorough developmental program created to promote leadership skills and hone one’s abilities. It will also expose participants to the game of basketball at various levels. Furthermore, this program will support young athletes and give them the tools they need to realize their full potential.

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However, this may not have been possible without support from basketball greats like Stephen Curry and LeBron James.

LeBron James and Stephen Curry stand up for gender equality in sports

The WNBA has often struggled with receiving noticeably less attention than the NBA. League players have spoken up and shown their support for this cause over the years, including Stephen Curry. When the video posted by Ali Kershner gained attention, the Golden State Warriors icon spoke up about the issue on Twitter.

Another icon who you can rely on for supporting the WNBA is LeBron James. The Los Angeles Lakers legend discussed the critical problem of the gender pay gap in the world of basketball during an appearance on The Shop. He discussed the difficulties female athletes experience and brought attention to the obvious discrepancies by bringing up the instance of Brittney Griner.

Griner has played around 7 seasons of offseason in Russia, where she made four times the income she normally makes. Commenting on the same, LeBron said, ?Unfortunately, some of them, they go over there and won?t come back. They?re like, ‘I miss everything that they have in America. But like, this pay raise over here, I?m not coming back over to this s**t.’? [sic]

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Although there is still a long way to go before we can truly attain diversity and parity in sports, this initiative by NCAA is an encouraging first step in the right direction. What are your thoughts on the NCAA? Let us know in the comments below!