Rick Fox is backing his former teammate Kobe Bryant on WNBA stars playing in the NBA ... tellin' TMZ Sports women can DEFINITELY ball out in the men's league!!!
"Skills are skills," Fox says. "I mean, you try some of these WNBA ladies and they'll give you the business, fam!"
The Black Mamba said earlier this week there are some WNBA players who can compete with the guys in the Association ... specifically naming Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi and Elena Delle Donne.
When we got Fox leaving Wally's in L.A. on Wednesday ... he told us he couldn't agree more, saying, "Skills have nothing to do with your sex or your race."
In fact, Fox says he's seen some pro women bust NBA players on the court before with his own two eyes!!!
"I can think of a couple women that have held their own in pick-up games and competed well," Fox tells us. "So, it's not a new thing."
As for how some of the women are feeling about a possible jump to the men's league ... we got Delle Donne at Reagan Airport on Thursday -- and she told us she's flattered by the comments, but she's got no plans to try out for the NBA just yet.