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Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant rep the women’s game

By Howard Megdal

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 16: NBA Legend Kobe Bryant and WNBA President Lisa Borders are seen during the game between the Minnesota Lynx and the Los Angeles Sparks during Game Four of the 2016 WNBA Finals on October 16, 2016 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 16: NBA Legend Kobe Bryant and WNBA President Lisa Borders are seen during the game between the Minnesota Lynx and the Los Angeles Sparks during Game Four of the 2016 WNBA Finals on October 16, 2016 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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One of the biggest problems for those men stubbornly insisting that only men’s basketball is worth following is the enduring respect and love the greatest men’s players and coaches in the sport have for the women’s game.

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This past week is merely the latest set of examples, with figures like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Durant showing up to support the women’s game at every turn.

Kobe could be found courtside at both the national semifinals on Friday night and at the final on Sunday night, when he not only tweeted at buzzer-beating hero Arike Ogunbowale, but revealed his longstanding relationship with Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma.

“There’s not a lot of dribbling,” Bryant told Mike Anthony of the Hartford Courant of his respect for the Connecticut program. “It’s ‘we know how to play with each other.’ And, continuously. You don’t see them having to stop the game and put people in the right places. That ball moves, and they go. They know how to recognize and read a defense and I think that’s attributed to Geno understanding that it’s way more important to teach players how to fish instead of telling them where the fish are.”

As for LeBron James, the foremost player in the NBA was asked about how he feels about women coaching men. As one would expect from James, he’s not only fine with it, but encouraged to see people like Becky Hammon adding to the talent pool in the league.

“I mean, if she knows what she’s doing, we’ll love it,” James told Cleveland.com after Cleveland Cavaliers shootaround on Thursday. “I mean, listen, at the end of the day, basketball… it’s not about male or female. You know the game, you know the game.”

James went on to praise Doris Burke, unsolicited, which is the proper way to address Doris Burke.

“We have so many female reporters now that know the game and they cover the game,” James said. “I mean, you look at Doris Burke last night, she’s one of the greatest that we have in our game. She knows the game, so it doesn’t matter.”

As for Durant, he did it more quietly: while in Indiana, he made sure to go check out Indiana Fever practice.

So for those trying to argue that the men’s game is somehow the only one paying attention to, well… it’s pretty lonely these days. And none of the players they’d hold up as exceptional are on their side. They’re too busy appreciating basketball, period.

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