Trump Says He Would Ask LeBron If He Wanted to Be a Woman to Star on a WNBA Team
The remark underscores the White House’s public opposition to transgender participation in women’s sports and could raise political pressure on leagues and lawmakers.
Overview
- President Donald Trump said he would ask LeBron James if he had “any desire to be a woman” so James could play on a WNBA team Trump joked he would build and claimed he would be “the greatest women’s basketball coach in history,” remarks that circulated widely on social media Wednesday.
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt linked the president’s comments to the controversy around Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham and reiterated that the administration opposes men competing in women’s sports.
- News reports note the WNBA currently has no transgender players on any roster and that high‑profile examples cited by opponents have not reached top professional levels in college or the WNBA.
- The comment revives the nearly decade‑long public feud between Trump and LeBron and arrives after LeBron’s move to the Philadelphia 76ers reignited the GOAT debate that first drew the two into public clashes.
- The exchange could sharpen national debate and political action on trans athlete policy because the WNBA’s new collective bargaining language keeps eligibility to “players who are women” while leaving gender identity undefined, putting pressure on the league and state policymakers to clarify rules.