NEWCASTLE (Paul Nilsen’s Women’s Basketball Worldwide) – As I left Sopron in the wake of EuroLeague Women Final Four 2018, it was with a feeling that something rather pivotal for the future of the women’s game had taken place.

It had nothing to do with the overall tournament (as brilliant as it was) but was all to do with Brittney Griner making her first Final Four dunk. But before you get the wrong idea – that wasn’t the pivotal moment in the way everyone might have anticipated.

For many years, I have campaigned passionately to push the cause of women’s basketball, to promote the merits of its main attractions - the passing, the shooting, the team ethic, the passion and I still maintain, it’s incredible unpredictability.

For years, I have also had to sit and listen to those who don’t follow the women’s game tell me how the rims need to be lowered (the day they do that, that will be me finished by the way) and in doing so, a sudden proliferation of dunks would see the women’s game transformed.

Even if the rims remain the same height, they still argue that with the evolution of female athletes, the dunks will come more often (I don’t disagree about the increase) and this will see the women’s game take off like never before.

So, I was fascinated to the reaction of the dunk by Griner in Sopron. Yes, it was hardly that ground-breaking, but on paper at least and especially in the minds of those who want to convert women’s basketball into a pale imitation of the men’s game, should it have blown up in an even bigger way?

For me at least,  something very special happened that showed the women’s game is not about individual plays or dunks, it has other beautiful qualities to showcase.

People still flocked on social media channels to the dunk and that is great, but there was so much interaction and excitement about that memorable three-point shot. One which was made possible by passing, the team ethic and also served up an unforgettable outpouring of passion – to seal yet another unpredictable outcome. All the special elements of why I love women’s basketball were in that Milovanovic moment.

It crystalized the strength of my feelings about how dunks will be a welcome addition to the women’s game – but not a panacea for the need to grow. I so give massive credit to Griner and hope she will throw down some more, along with other players. Women’s basketball does need more dunks. But, haters are gonna hate right? More dunks can also mean even more comparisons with the men – and their dunks.

To me, there is nothing wrong with women’s basketball being – well, just different. I equate it to tennis and the stark differences in the men and women’s game. The women will gradually serve up more power and aces on their serves as their athleticism evolves, while the rallies might get a little shorter and so the gap between both styles could reduce.

But make no mistake, while women throwing down dunks can help increase popularity and interest and that is to be welcomed with a big thumbs-up. Females dunking isn’t a silver bullet to slay the inertia and rampant sexism across large swathes of society that stops so many people taking women’s basketball seriously.

Being ‘male, pale and stale’, I am probably not best placed to say this, but rather than pursuing this never-ending (and in my opinion, pointless) obsession for equality with the men, let’s focus on simply increasing levels of respect and having an acceptance that women’s ball is beautifully different.

Paul Nilsen

FIBA

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