If Margaret Thatcher played basketball: power forward, rated 77

Margaret Thatcher as a basketball player: scouting report

Margaret Thatcher would play power forward, where the job is to hold your ground and refuse to give up position. She was widely known as the Iron Lady, and on a basketball court that nickname becomes a forward who plants herself in the lane and wins rebounds through sheer determination. Her rebounding is one of the two best marks on her card, and she gets those boards by reading the angle off the rim rather than outjumping anyone.

The other top mark is her basketball IQ, and her background explains it. She studied chemistry at Oxford and worked as a research chemist before qualifying as a barrister, then became the first woman to serve as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She was famous for her preparation and her command of detail, the habits of a forward who knows every opponent's tendencies before the tip. Her defense is solid and disciplined, and her shooting is a workable short jumper from the elbow. She grew up above a grocery shop in Grantham, and she plays like someone raised on long days of work.

Athleticism is the soft spot. She will not beat younger forwards down the floor, so pair her with an athletic center who protects the rim and a guard who runs the break. She can slide to center with a small drop if you need size, and she can play small forward in a slower lineup. Draft her in the middle rounds as a rebounding anchor with a coach's mind. She served longer than any other British Prime Minister of the twentieth century, and she brings that same staying power to a long season.

Plays like An immovable four who wins every positional battle

Put Margaret Thatcher in your lineup

8 rolls, a starting five and a bench, 82 games. Can you go 82-0? Free, no account.