If Princess Diana played basketball: small forward, rated 77

Princess Diana as a basketball player: scouting report

Princess Diana trained in ballet as a girl and loved to swim and dance throughout her life, and that grace and balance would show up on the wing. She would play small forward as a defensive specialist. Her basketball IQ is the top mark on her card and her defense is right behind it, so she slides her feet, beats her player to the spot and reads the passing lanes a step before the ball arrives.

She was never afraid to go where others would not, taking on difficult causes through her charity work, including a widely followed campaign against landmines, and a defender who seeks out the toughest assignment is exactly what she would be. Before public life she worked as an assistant at a kindergarten in London, which is decent training for organizing a defense with five people talking at once. Her passing is steady and unselfish, and she connects with teammates the way she connected with crowds. Her shooting is serviceable, and she scores mostly off cuts and transition chances that her defense creates.

Rebounding is the honest weak spot and the lowest mark on her card, with athleticism only a little higher. She will not dominate the glass or play above the rim, so she needs a strong rebounder beside her. Point guard and shooting guard are both workable second spots, and her passing makes the point a slightly better fit. Draft her in the middle rounds as a defensive wing, pair her with a scoring guard and a physical center, and trust her with the other team's best perimeter player every night.

Plays like A graceful, tireless wing who takes on the hard assignments

Put Princess Diana in your lineup

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