Last region. 16 figures
Upper Half:
#1 Kobe Bryant vs. #16 Julie Plank
#8 Dwight Howard vs. #9 Enes Kanter
#5 Candace Parker vs. #12 Shaka Smart
#4 Jim Calhoun vs. #13 Nancy Lieberman
Lower Half
#6 Brittney Griner vs. #11 Dirk Nowitzki
#3 Dwyane Wade vs. #14 Michael Jordan
#7 Blake Griffin vs. #10 Brian Agler
#2 Derrick Rose vs. #15 Jasmine Thomas
About the seeds
#1 Kobe Bryant, G, LA Lakers
He won the 2009 and 2010 Finals MVPs and would like one more before the team potentially blows up thanks to the NBA labor situation.
#2 Derrick Rose, G, Chicago Bulls
He is considered by most to be the MVP this year, since he can do everything Mike can in a 6 foot frame.
#3 Dwyane Wade, G, Miami Heat
Best recruiter in the NBA, hands down! He also is still producing decent stats despite the fact that LeBron and Chris are now in town.
#4 Jim Calhoun, coach of the UConn men's basketball team
He's in trouble for NCAA violations, but he won't have to forfeit games to the best of my knowledge. Also, the Huskies made the Final Four this year with a team that wasn't supposed to do that well this year.
#5 Candace Parker, F, LA Sparks
She took the league by storm by being the 2008 WNBA MVP. But since her baby in 2009 and injury in 2010, hopefully she can bounce back this year, since she is the new Lisa Leslie.
#6 Brittney Griner, C, Baylor
She was a catalyst to getting the Bears to a Final Four last year, and they almost did the same this year. Her play has developed really nicely since she was in high school on youtube videos showing her dunks.
#7 Blake Griffin, F, LA Clippers
He is the rookie of the year, hands down in a year where everyone expected John Wall to be the next Magic Johnson. He also knows how to dunk on top of Korean cars.
#8 Dwight Howard, C, Orlando Magic
Who's better? Dwight right now? or Shaq in his prime? The only difference between the two is that Dwight isn't as offensively minded as Shaq is.
#9 Enes Kanter, F/C from Turkey
He is right now a practice player for Kentucky because the NCAA ruled him permanently ineligible. His super high draft stock pretty much hinges on one game between a game of US high school stars vs. World teens, and he was just dominant. Wizards and Cavs fans are salivating over this guy..
#10 Brian Agler, Head Coach of the Seattle Storm
He won the 2010 WNBA Championship with the Storm who have two players already in my bracket. However let's also add this. The Storm didn't lose a single home game in 2010, including the playoffs, and players alone don't make great teams.
#11 Dirk Nowtizki, F/C, Dallas Mavericks
He once again is leading the Mavs to another 50 win season and doesn't look like he's gonna decline anytime soon.
#12 Shaka Smart, Head Coach of the VCU Rams
He's got the coolest name in all of basketball, and the Rams are 80 minutes from a National Championship for the ages.
#13 Nancy Lieberman, Head Coach of the Texas Legends (D League)
The HOF guard is the first woman to coach an NBA affiliated team and the Legends are currently in the playoff picture for the D League as well. Who knows, she could get a job to be an NBA head coach if she can have some continued success with the Legends.
#14 Michael Jordan, Majority Owner of the Charlotte Bobcats
MJ is the first former NBA player to be a majority owner of an NBA team. He also continues to be the face of Jordan Brand, Hanes tiny whiteys, and did all video gamers a favor by becoming the cover athlete of NBA 2K11.
I didn't consider his playing experience for the purposes of this bracket.
#15 Jasmine Thomas, G, Duke
Jasmine is from the DC area, so another homer bid! But she did earn All America honors this year, and was the catalyst for getting the Blue Devils to their 2nd straight Elite Eight appearance with a team made of five freshmen.
#16 Julie Plank, former head coach, Washington Mystics
Plank led the Mystics to their best 2 year run in history improving the team from a 10 win season in 2008 to a 16 win season in 2009. In 2010 with Alana Beard injured, the Mystics won 22 games, and also the Eastern Conference regular season championship.
Home 
NBA.com 
