Meet the Stanford sophomore who is turning heads with her dunking ability.
We had not seen a dunk in women’s college basketball since Brittany Griner did it in 2013, but Francesca Belibi has already dunked twice in the 2020-2021 season. The 6’1 sophomore forward for the Stanford Cardinal can truly throw it down, and she’s quickly becoming one of the most exciting players in the country.
Belibi is only starting to scratch the surface of her talent. She didn’t even begin playing basketball until her freshman year of high school. She was dunking by her sophomore year. As a senior, Belibi was a five-star recruit, a McDonald’s All-American, and won the 2019 Powerade Dunk Content. She was the first female to win the dunk contest since Candace Parker in 2004.
Belibi averaged six points per game as a freshman at Stanford, and has nearly doubled that this season as a sophomore. Belibi is not your typical women’s college basketball player, but she is someone you will want to watch this season.
It started on Dec. 13, when she threw down her first breakaway one-handed dunk with conviction against Cal.
It was exciting and something you don’t see every day in women’s basketball, but then she did it again. On another breakaway, instead of going for a layup, Belibi went up for a one-handed slam.
After her first dunk against Cal, Belibi joined the exclusive list of women to have dunked in a collegiate game, becoming eighth on the list.
Women Who Have Dunked In a College Game
This is a big accomplishment, not solely because the list is so short, but because she is too. Belibi is second only to Charlotte Smith (6’0) as the shortest women’s college basketball player to execute a dunk during a game. On a list where most athletes register at 6’4 and above, Belibi stands out in the best way.
As you can see, Belibi is a fun player to watch. Outside of dunking, she is a solid rebounder and finishes well around the rim. It will be fun to watch her as she continues her career at Stanford and possibly beyond. Hopefully, there are many more dunks to come in the following years.
