Over the last several weeks, it appears that the bulk of discourse surrounding the WNBA has been about anything but the actual play on the court.
In fact, one can make a strong argument this has been the reality for the last few years.
Sophie Cunningham lit this most recent match with her incendiary comments regarding transgender athletes and it led to rallies at Indiana Fever road games in support – and in opposition – to her remarks.
Apparently, there are retired NBA players that needed their names in the headlines in an effort to piggyback off of Cunningham’s comments. Enes Kanter and Royce White have since announced their “intentions” to “declare” for the 2027 WNBA Draft. Khristina Williams has since reported that the W is not treating these “declarations” with any degree of seriousness – as it should not.
There has been plenty of reaction to these most recent off-court developments involving the WNBA and transgender athletes. Many fans are looking at what is happening with plenty of sadness, lamenting that the W used to be an inclusive space that celebrated the spirit of competition while understanding love and diversity are in its DNA.
Here is the thing – love, inclusivity and diversity are still in the DNA of the W at its core. And we must also not allow these bad faith actors to sap our love of this league.
If one thing has become crystal clear over the past several weeks, months and years, it is that these bad faith actors did not wade their way into the WNBA discourse because they actually were fans of basketball. They did so because they wanted to force a regressive political and social agenda on a league built by Black, Brown and LGBTQIA+ women.
Outside of Cunningham and Caitlin Clark, these individuals can barely name 10 (or even five) W players without doing a Google search.
Maybe they can name Kate Martin because she was a teammate of Clark’s at Iowa.
Maybe they can name Brittney Griner because of the Russia ordeal from a few years ago.
Maybe they can name A’ja Wilson because she is the WNBA’s current gold standard.
But even that could be giving these bad faith actors a bit too much credit. A lot of them have even crashed out at the fact that Clark has not been in complete lockstep with Cunningham. Clark has a brand to protect – and that brand has a lot of dollar signs attached to it. She clearly wants said brand to be all about basketball and does not want to wade too deeply into the political waters Cunningham clearly has.
Considering Cunningham is on a one-year deal with the Fever, we see where this appears to be going. She clearly sees that her career is going nowhere and that there is a lot of money in being a right-wing influencer. This is her transition to that next phase of her life ala Riley Gaines.
In the meantime while Cunningham is planning her next act, we need to remember that the WNBA is still the WNBA – and that there is still a lot of amazing things happening in this league.
We need to remember that the Minnesota Lynx are currently the top seed in the W. We need to remember that the Lynx have already clinched a playoff berth and that Olivia Miles has put together one of the greatest rookie seasons in WNBA history. Miles is a lock for Rookie of the Year, but after a recent stellar performance against the Las Vegas Aces, Miles may have netted a few MVP votes as well.
We need to remember that in just their second season as a franchise, the Golden State Valkyries are legitimate contenders. There is a reason as to why the Valkyries plucked Nakase from Becky Hammon’s coaching tree in Las Vegas. The Valkyries may not have that one marquee player that one considers a superstar, but they have plenty of great players including Gabby Williams, Kayla Thornton, Janelle Salaün, Veronica Burton, Cecilia Zandalasini and Tiffany Hayes. Those names belong on the marquee.
We need to remember that A’ja Wilson is still A’ja Wilson. She has already won four MVP awards and could be closing in on a fifth. At this point, with everything she has already accomplished in her career at 30 years old, both Halls of Fame (Women’s and Naismith) are in her future.
We need to remember that it appears the field of eight for the playoffs that will be solidified following the FIBA break appears to be all but set. There is such a distance between the eighth seed (which as of this writing is the New York Liberty) and the ninth seed (currently the Portland Fire) is so great that it appears unlikely any team below the Liberty will make up that gap with the number of games left this season.
Below the Lynx, Valkyries and Aces, there is the Fever, Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics, Dallas Wings and the Liberty. The Mystics and Wings are especially great stories. Washington’s young core that includes Kiki Iriafen, Sonia Citron and Shakira Austin has solidified their “team of the future” status. In addition, the Mystics took advantage of Betnijah Laney-Hamilton’s shocking release from New York and brought her to the DMV.
The Wings are also a great story. Jose Fernandez could be Coach of the Year. Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, Arike Ogunbowale, Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard (a Most Improved Player of the Year candidate) have catapulted Dallas into the contenders’ chat. Not to mention the Wings are relocating from its current home court in Arlington into the American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas in 2027.
This year’s All-Star festivities in Chicago were a massive upgrade from the last time the WNBA’s midseason festivities were in the Windy City in 2022. The FIBA World Cup is sure to be exciting. And let us not lose sight of the talent that actually will be part of the 2027 WNBA Draft. These names include JuJu Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo, Madison Booker, MiLaysia Fulwiley, Mikaylah Williams, Talaysia Cooper, Ashlyn Watkins, Audi Crooks and a host of other premier names transitioning to life in the W.
There is a lot of good happening in and around this league – and we should not lose sight of that obvious reality. At the end of the day, these provocateurs will leave and they will locate another entity for their political endgame. We are not going anywhere because we understand why we drawn to the WNBA in the first place.
The wise philosopher Ari Chambers said it best – The WNBA is so important.
