Brittney Griner's fame began growing as a 15 year old sophomore on January 24, 2007 when a YouTuber posted a video of her dunking six times in a team practice game. That Internet video has since spread like wildfire elevating her to near legendary status.

Through the first 25 games of the 2006-2007 season, Griner averaged 23 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.1 blocks. She also shot 65 percent from the field. At that point the team was (20-5). Her efforts were particularly surprising because three of the Cougars starters were sidelined by injuries and she was constantly double-and-triple-teamed.

As a sophomore in one of her triple-double games she scored 32 points, 16 rebounds and 13 blocks as the Cougars defeated Houston Memorial, 49-38. 


Brittney Griner's First Game Dunk:
During the summer or 2007, while playing for the AAU Houston Hotshots, Griner dunked for the first time, and about a month later she threw another one down. "The whole crowd just jumped up and was screaming," said Griner.

2007-2008  Basketball Season:
Brittney Griner lead Texas 5A girls basketball in points, rebounds and blocks, and is the number two ranked junior in the nation. To date she has led her team to a 28-7 winning record averaging 25 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 6.5 blocks per game. She is also shooting 63 percent from the field and thus far has posted 4 triple-doubles and 30 double-doubles.

2008-2009 Basketball Season:
As a senior, at Nimitz High School, Griner averaged 27.5 points per game along with a double-double. She recorded eleven triple-doubles to help lead the Lady Cougars to the Texas state championship game against Mansfield Summit. Griner is ranked as the number one female prep basketball player in the country.   

I've watched women's basketball for many years. In fact, I've been a season ticket holder for the WNBA's basketball team L.A. Sparks since the league started in 1997. Therefore, I can honestly say that I have seen my fair share of tall talented female basketball players 6'5" and over.

Two giants (in stature) of women's basketball quickly come to mind, Haixia Zheng a highly regarded center from China standing 6'8" and weighing a massive 254 pounds. Haixia, a basketball icon from China who in her later years played for the L.A. Sparks during the '97 and '98 season and Margo Dydek of Poland a 7'2", 235 pound center from the University of Connecticut now with the WNBA's  Connecticut Sun.

Zheng, a formidable opponent with the largest muscular calves I have ever seen on any human being, male or female (at least 25 inches) even larger than the late great World Wrestling Federation (WWF) "Hall of Fame " wrestler "Andre the Giant" who stood 7'5" and weighed a massive 560 pounds. Zheng was big, and she towered over everyone else in the league, but lacked mobility, quickness and stamina needed to be a great player.

Margo Dydek is the tallest women every to play women's professional basketball but is "slow of foot" and also lacks agility, strength and jumping ability. However, at 7'2" she is still a good rebounder and defender.

So what makes Brittney Griner any different?
Athleticism!  Along with her 6'8" frame and 86-inch wingspan she appears to be very agile and displays good foot work. In my many years of viewing women's hoops, before Griner, I have witnessed four other women players who officially dunked on a ten foot rim. 

The first time I ever saw a woman dunk a basketball on a legitimate 10-foot rim was Lisa Leslie of the WNBA's L.A. Sparks, on July 30, 2002 playing against the Miami Sol. I attended that game and sat only a few feet from the basket in which she dunked on. 
Lisa, who received an outlet pass from teammate Latasha Byears with a clear path to the basket dunked. The crowd went crazy! 

The second woman I personally saw dunk on a regulation basketball court (which may surprised a lot of people) is the Minnesota Linx's center Michele Van Gorp, in 2003. Van Gorp did indeed throw one down although it went without much notice or fanfare, largely due to the fact that it was in a pre-game warm-up at the Staple center moments before Minnesota's tip-off game against the Sparks. A few years later, like many others, I saw Candace Parker and Michelle Snow's two handed dunk on ESPN. 

Griner is not the first female to dunk in a basketball game, that distinction goes to All-American 6-foot 7-inch Georgeann Wells of West Virginia University, who dunked in a official collegiate basketball game on December 21, 1984, against the University of Charleston West Virginia. However, what set her apart from others is the relatively ease in which she jams and her variety of dunks. Windmill, off the backboard, two handed, center on either side of the rim dunks which place her a cut above the rest. Of course, there's more to basketball than just dunking, Brittney also possess an all-around game with good foot speed, quickness, jumping ability and an airplane like wing span. She seems to be very coachable and has a thirst for basketball knowledge.

Remember she's only been playing organize basketball for four years and is still just a "Teeny-Bopper" with a tremendous upside to her game. I'll make a personal prediction, when Griner stops growing and adds a few pounds to her frame, she will have at least five dunks in a single game. Not only that, but four of those dunks will be right in the face of her opponent.

Brittney has the potential to be a basketball legend, and possibly one of the most dominate women basketball players in the history of the sport, and possibly surpassing such college greats as Cheryl Miller, Lisa Leslie and even her idol Candace Parker. 

Every ten or twenty years we as basketball fans are blessed enough to see some of the greatest ballers in the history of the game. Such greats as Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, L.A. Basketball legend Raymond Lewis, (Raymond Who? Click here to find out!) Kobe Bryant, Jerry West, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Lisa Leslie, Cynthia Cooper and Deanna "Tweety" Nolan.

Griner no doubt, has the potential to become one of the greatest women basketball players ever. She also carries a 3.2 GPA, says math and chemistry are her favorite subjects and that she would like to be a crime scene investigator some day. But for now she is following the footsteps of her favorite player, former Tennessee star now WNBA's L.A. Sparks Candace Parker.

I truly believe that before her playing days are over, Brittney Griner may very well rewrite the history books in women's basketball.