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Despite the recent spate of controversies hounding the WNBA, there’s no denying that the women’s professional basketball league is experiencing an incredible surge in popularity, driven by the sensational play of superstars such as Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, A’ja Wilson, and Napheesa Collier.
With women hoopers now developing elite ball-handling and shooting skills, the WNBA has become a lot more entertaining than ever before. Prolific guards like Caitin and Paige can easily shake a defender out of her sneakers before hitting a logo 3-pointer, while Phee, A’ja, and Jonquel Jones know how to throw their weight around inside the shaded lane.
But according to legendary NBA big man Shaquille O’Neal, despite how far the WNBA has come, there’s still one glaring thing missing from the women’s game: slam dunks. And for that, Shaq has a simple solution to allow women players to pull off what their male counterparts do regularly.
Lower the rim’s height
The WNBA game features a lot of finesse and flair. Shaq contended that it could benefit from adding some power, which it could if players were able to pull off rim-rattling slam dunks. Some have been able to pull it off, with All-Star center Britney Griner having the most dunks in league history with 27.
BRITTNEY GRINER DUNK
: @WNBApic.twitter.com/Fv1bjf0txf
– The Sporting News (@sportingnews) July 9, 2023
The first to do it, though, was Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie, who rammed one home on July 30, 2002. Others who have pulled off similar feats include Liz Cambage, Sylvia Fowles, Candace Parker, Jones, Awak Kuier, Dominique Malonga, and Michelle Snow.
Lisa Leslie threw down the first dunk in @WNBA history! (2002)pic.twitter.com/9LdAjD7fPY
– Silence The Critics (@STheCritics) July 31, 2023
The main thing that’s keeping WNBA players from dunking regularly is the rim’s height. Shaq, though, proposed that the women’s league adopt a rule that volleyball has. In men’s volleyball, the net’s height is set at 7 feet 11 5/8 inches. Meanwhile, the net’s height in the women’s game is set at 7 feet 4 1/8 inches to compensate for height differences and leaping ability.
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“I have a solution for the WNBA, right? So, I don’t know if you know, in men’s beach volleyball and women’s beach volleyball, the net is lowered just a little bit,” Shaq
“The only thing missing from the WNBA to the NBA game is the dunk. So imagine… I’m not saying lower it to nine feet so they can dunk. That’s more of a show. But we’ll get more of that.”
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The WNBA game already has it all
While modern basketball is undeniably in the era of the 3-pointer, the slam dunk remains the game’s most exciting highlight, showcasing a blend of grace and power in one smooth motion. Shaq believes that as popular as the WNBA already is, it could reach the next level if games featured more slams.
“I think if they did that, it’d make the game more exciting because, look, they got the handles, they got the shooting, they got the showmanship. They just don’t have the dunk,” he said. “And so, just imagine that. So if you lower the rim just a little bit…”
While the WNBA game is a lot more grounded than the NBA, it has its fair share of athletic players who would no doubt attack the rim with more ferocity and put on a show, especially if the rim were lowered a little bit.
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This story was originally published August 18, 2026 at 3:19 AM.