Former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant said he believes that there are three WNBA players who could play in the NBA right now.
“I think there are a couple of players who could play in the NBA right now, honestly,” Bryant told CNN when asked if there might be a day when his daughter could play in the same league in which he was a five-time NBA champion and an 18-time All-Star selection during his 20 seasons with the Lakers. “There’s a lot of players with a lot of skill that could do it.”
“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, a nine-time WNBA All-Star and the league’s all-time leading scorer, has averaged 19.6 points during her 15 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury, with whom she’s won three championships.
Moore has won the league’s MVP and four titles with the Minnesota Lynx while averaging 18.4 points in her eight seasons. She sat out last season to focus on her family and ministry pursuits.
In just her seventh season, Delle Donne has won two WNBA MVP awards and has averaged 20.3 points during her career, which includes a league title with the Washington Mystics last season.
Bryant is eligible to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for the first time in 2020.