MIAMI — Big brother is concerned.
When Milwaukee Bucks center Samuel Dalembert heard his younger sister, Melissa Dalembert, is going to play this summer for the Miami Spice in the first-year Bikini Basketball Association, he didn’t like it.
“I told her, 'Don’t do that,' ’’ Samuel Dalembert told FOX Sports Florida while calling the league “nonsense.’’ "But, hey she’s grown up. So she’s doing it.’’
The Spice announced last week that Melissa Dalembert, currently a professional in Germany after having played at Miramar (Fla.) High School and at the University of South Florida, would be joining the team. The Spice begins play in the five-team league with a June 22 game at the Illinois Heart.
“First of all, I don’t know if it’s serious, and I think they’re just doing it for the show,’’ said Samuel Dalembert, 31, whose Bucks are playing the Miami Heat in an Eastern Conference first-round series. “I don’t think it’s for the sport, and I told her that. Hey, if it was something that had been around and had been professional (Samuel would have no problem with her playing). But doing this nonsense when she already has a contract (in Germany)?’’
Reached by email, Melissa, 26, declined to comment on her brother not wanting her to play.
“My focus is here in Germany and winning this championship,’’ she wrote about what she is now concerned about with her team in Germany. “After this, when I come home at the end of May, I can answer any questions you want.’’
Melissa is averaging 3.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in 13.7 minutes for TSV 1880 Wasserburg in Germany.
The Bikini Basketball Association also includes the Houston Inferno, Las Vegas Fantasy and Philadelphia Diamonds. Rather than an actual bikini, women will play in a sports bra and tight shorts.
The league’s website says “women were selected based on athleticism, personality, as well as beauty. The combination of these traits will help the BBA athletes stand out in their respective communities. Each team will feature between 14 to 21 talented female athletes on their rosters. Prepare for one of the sexiest and most exciting new associations.’’
None of that impresses Samuel Dalembert. Even though he has a home just up the road from Miami in Boca Raton, he said he does not plan to see his sister play for the Spice this summer.
“Sometimes I give her my opinion as a businessman and also as a brother and an outsider, but it’s up to her to make the decision,’’ he said. “She’s really good. She’s been playing the last couple of years overseas. But she makes her own choice.’’
Big brother was asked delicately about how her sister will look playing basketball in a skimpy outfit.
“You’ll find out. But those things are never really a serious thing,’’ he said of the Bikini Basketball Association.
Chris Tomasson can be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com
or on Twitter @christomasson.
