Retired National Basketball Association (NBA) superstar Kobe Bryant has said that there are women basketball stars who could play in the NBA right now.
Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant claimed that there are some women basketball players who could compete in the NBA right now. Speaking to CNN, Bryant said: "I think there are a couple of players who could play in the NBA right now honestly.
"There's a lot of players with a lot of skill that could do it," the NBA legend added.
Bryant has been spotted with his daughter, Gianna, at numerous NBA games recently. This was the response he gave when asked whether there may one day be a future for her in the league.
The five-time NBA champion says that he had watched little basketball since he retired but his daughter's love of the game sparked his interest and he now coaches her basketball team.
He named three Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) stars who he believes could make the jump into the men's league. He said: "Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Elena Della Donne. There's a lot of great players out there so they could certainly keep up with them."
Taurasi, who was the 2004 first overall pick in the WNBA Draft, won the 2009 WNBA MVP AND has been the WNBA all-time leading scorer since June 2017. She is also a nine-time WNBA All-Star and a three-time WNBA champion with Phoenix Mercury.
Taurasi is nicknamed "White Mamba" from Bryant's moniker "Black Mamba" for her ability to score in clutch situations.
Meanwhile, Elena Della Donne led Washington Mystics to their first WNBA title last year and won her second WNBA MVP title in the process. Della Donne is also the first ever WNBA star to join the 50-40-90 club.
The unofficial club requires a player to shoot more than 50% from the field, 40% from 3-point range and 90% from the free throw line.
Maya Moore, who sat out the 2019 season to focus on family and her faith, is also an WNBA MVP and a four-time champion with the Minnesota Lynx.
