It’s been a while since the debate started on my horse is bigger than yours. It, however, went up to another level with a recent whimsical comment made by the Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. on lowering the rims for the players in the WNBA, so that easier dunks could be made. The comment has invited a huge backlash on social media. Interestingly, WNBA’s Lexie Brown has taken the floor to address this issue most directly.

Lexie Brown demands respect after Porter Jr.’s comment

Recently, Lexie Brown participated in a discussion based on the ‘They need to lower the rims’ comment by Michale Porter Jr on Gilbert Arenas’ talk show – Gil’s Arena. Expressing her disappointment with the statement, Brown says, “Let me start by saying, I think his heart was in the right place. He started on the right foot and then he just kind of put his foot in his mouth. There is a lot to unpack in his statements – identifying us as females instead of women the whole time.”

She went on to add, “That we can’t get treated the same, and he then says treatment or payment, which are two completely different things. We can still be treated with respect and they can respect our craft without us making $20 to $30 million a year. Both of those things can happen, we cannot get paid for 30$ million and we can be respected and treated well for being professional basketball players.”

Responding to Jr.’s comment she goes, “‘Lowering the rims’ comment, y’all already know how I feel about that, it is stupid, it doesn’t benefit me personally at all because I’m still not gonna dunk. I can’t dunk at a 10-foot rim, definitely not gonna duck at a 9-foot rim, it’s gonna f* up my shooting, and it’s gonna f* up everybody’s shooting. And I just feel like the way he plays basketball like he shoots a lot of 3s, I just don’t, you don’t, he doesn’t dunk, he wants us to dunk? you dunk! what are we talking about?”

“I am very annoyed with men who continue to create these spaces to discuss these things when they don’t watch our games; they don’t know us; they don’t ask us our opinions about anything ever, and like if you don’t have to watch us play that’s fine, but like for you to just sit there and constantly shit on our craft, our product, and everything without really being tuned in like it’s just not right at this point. But again! You don’t have to watch anything, but you’ll always want to talk about us, so might as well watch us, shit!” she adds as she expresses her thoughts on the talk shows becoming a platform for comments like these to slip out in public and then spread in disgrace, making the sporting spirit distasteful.

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However, among the narratives that act as the origin for such comments to be made in the first place, there are a few things that need to be addressed in the WNBA to initiate the boosting change that the WNBA desires.

A new light for the league

The WNBA has never been seen in the same light as compared to the NBA. And, there might be many reasons contributing to this point of view, may it be the league being very younger than its male counterpart, or the narrative that boys are stronger than girls, either way. However, one thing that differentiates the league from the NBA is the reality of the WNBA’s resistance to change.

WNBA is a dream for most of the college women’s basketball athletes. Players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Juju Watkins, and Paige Bueckers, among others, have a strong and unique playing style. However, the WNBA’s need for players to stay in the team’s conformity takes the life out of a player’s skill and individual style of play. No wonder many are still playing in college, because that’s where their craft is appreciated in its full glory, unlike the WNBA.

Recently, WNBA veteran Sheryl Swoopes also expressed her concern about players like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese going to the WNBA in the future. She said things will be very different from what they are for them in college right now. They might have to struggle to earn a name for themselves and start from scratch in fact as the players already in the league won’t be easy on the newcomers.

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