Overview
- Cunningham repeated her comments in person on Wednesday, saying “I said what I said” and calling it “common sense” to protect girls from competing against people she described as biological men.
- The Indiana Fever issued a neutral statement saying players have independent views and the team is committed to welcoming fans from every background.
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt publicly backed Cunningham, arguing men should not play in women’s sports and criticizing the left’s reaction.
- Reactions online and in the press were sharply split, with some calling her remarks transphobic and others praising her defense of women’s sports; there has been no reported WNBA discipline.
- The dispute sits against recent legal shifts — the Supreme Court upheld state bans on trans athletes last month — and a WNBA collective bargaining agreement that says only women are eligible to play but does not define transgender status, leaving policy uncertainty for the league and union.