Steph Curry’s failed dunk experience should silence WNBA critics

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry transformed NBA basketball by dominating from beyond the three-point line — shattering records, hitting milestones and winning three NBA Championships in four years.

Curry’s game is one of the more fundamentally sound of NBA players, who often rely just on dunks as a way to mask skills that are only as sharp as a butter knife. Curry is a great passer who thrives in the pick-and-roll, he lights it up from long-distance and he banks his free throws. Curry can dunk — and has done it in games — but he doesn’t do it very often, which is also true of myriad WNBA players.

Last night in the Warriors’ win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Curry tried and failed miserably — creating a highlight reel fit for Shaqtin-A-Fool with additional relentless airing on SportsCenter.

Of course, Curry slipped on the court this time. But a dunk master Stephen Curry is not, even without his feet coming out from under him as they did last night.

The important irony, of course, is that WNBA detractors like to claim the women’s game is boring because of the infrequent dunking in the women’s game. Meanwhile, Curry is the literal face of the NBA, having built a prominent career and amassed tremendous wealth on a largely dunkless game. Oh, the hypocrisy.

Society’s ability to embrace Curry but not, say Allie Quigley — who banked more threes in last year’s All-Star contest than anyone in WNBA or NBA history — reveals a striking double standard, underscoring that disdain for the WNBA was never about the lack of dunks in the first place.