Natalie Nakase was about to coach the Golden State Valkryies against the Toronto Tempo on Sunday when she was asked about a controversy surrounding a different team and one of its players.
The WNBA’s first Asian-American coach was more than happy to give her opinion about transgender women playing in women’s sports, which has loomed over the league since Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham spoke out against it last month.
“Thank you for that question,” Nakase, a former Clippers assistant coach, said during her pregame news conference. “For me, sports is about belonging. It’s about inclusivity. It’s about allowing everyone to be their authentic self. You know, I’m big on that just because I have been criticized for my height, for my ethnicity.
“I’ve been in those ‘you shouldn’t belong here’ [discussions] many times. And for me, I don’t want that space, especially Golden State, to ever feel like that. So I’m all about women, little girls deserving to play, and that includes trans women. So I’m all about inclusivity.”
Nakase’s comments came on the same day that Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve wore a T-shirt that read “Trans kids belong” under her jacket during her team’s game against the Fever. Reeve and Cunningham were seen speaking before the game, but the WNBA’s all-time winningest coach declined to reveal the details of their discussion to reporters afterward.
“Both of us understand that we have platforms and we both talked about wanting to, more than anything, educate,” Reeve said. “And there are some things that we have in common, and maybe some things you differ on, just like any issues, and I think it’s how you handle things.”
It was the third consecutive Fever road game at which supporters of both sides of the argument gathered outside the arena to rally for their cause. It was also the third straight game at which Cunningham received boos from the crowd inside the arena.
Cunningham, who didn’t speak with reporters after the game, posed for pictures with Jennifer Sey and Riley Gaines, two outspoken political activists against transgender women in women’s sports.
Fever teammate Caitlin Clark, one of the WNBA’s biggest stars, did speak with reporters, for the first time since the controversy started. A reporter opened the news conference following Indiana’s 108-100 loss to the Lynx by asking Clark how she and her teammates have navigated the conversation around the issue.
“I think, for us, it’s not really a discussion we really have in our locker room,” Clark said. “I think it’s for leagues and governing bodies to work with their athletes to find solutions. But our focus is on basketball. That’s what we talk about and how we can get wins, and obviously we didn’t do that tonight, so we need to find an area to improve in that way.”
When the same reporter started asking Clark for her reaction on the matter, she cut him off.
“I just answered for you,” she said.
In a July 21 ESPN article, Cunningham said she wants to “protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
The next day, she told reporters that her stance is “kind of common sense,” adding, “I’ll stand on what I said, and I’ll always believe that.”
Before the Fever’s game on Friday in Portland, Cunningham told reporters, “I’m here to play basketball, but I’m also here to be me, and I’m not gonna like shadow that or hide or, you know, dim my light just because maybe people don’t agree with that.”
Speaking to reporters before the same game, Indiana coach Stephanie White expressed some “frustration” in not being able to focus entirely on basketball but said “I also understand this is part of our growth edge as a league.”
“We have to to be able to manage, we have to be able to insulate as much as we can, and then we have to be able to lead with conversation,” she said.
Asked how she would feel about a “biological male” playing in the WNBA, White said: “I’m not educated enough in terms of transgender and transitioning to give you a smart answer. I would say, though, that I just don’t feel like exclusion is an answer, and I think that we need to have deeper, more layered conversations.”
Portland coach Alex Samara told reporters before that the transgender community has the team’s “full support.”
“They’re a very important part of what the values of the Portland Fire are,” he said. “I know our organization is going to be intentional in making sure our fans feel comfortable and supported when they come here to the fire pit.”
Earlier last week, Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton was banned by the WNBA from attending her team’s next five home games after she allegedly cursed at two teenage girls who were holding a sign in support of Cunningham when the Storm was playing the Fever on Tuesday.
Valkryies coach addresses Sophie Cunningham’s trans athletes comments
Natalie Nakase was about to coach the Golden State Valkryies against the Toronto Tempo on Sunday when she was asked about a controversy surrounding a different team and one of its players.
The WNBA’s first Asian-American coach was more than happy to give her opinion about transgender women playing in women’s sports, which has loomed over the league since Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham spoke out against it last month.
“Thank you for that question,” Nakase, a former Clippers assistant coach, said during her pregame news conference. “For me, sports is about belonging. It’s about inclusivity. It’s about allowing everyone to be their authentic self. You know, I’m big on that just because I have been criticized for my height, for my ethnicity.
“I’ve been in those ‘you shouldn’t belong here’ [discussions] many times. And for me, I don’t want that space, especially Golden State, to ever feel like that. So I’m all about women, little girls deserving to play, and that includes trans women. So I’m all about inclusivity.”
Nakase’s comments came on the same day that Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve wore a T-shirt that read “Trans kids belong” under her jacket during her team’s game against the Fever. Reeve and Cunningham were seen speaking before the game, but the WNBA’s all-time winningest coach declined to reveal the details of their discussion to reporters afterward.
“Both of us understand that we have platforms and we both talked about wanting to, more than anything, educate,” Reeve said. “And there are some things that we have in common, and maybe some things you differ on, just like any issues, and I think it’s how you handle things.”
It was the third consecutive Fever road game at which supporters of both sides of the argument gathered outside the arena to rally for their cause. It was also the third straight game at which Cunningham received boos from the crowd inside the arena.
Cunningham, who didn’t speak with reporters after the game, posed for pictures with Jennifer Sey and Riley Gaines, two outspoken political activists against transgender women in women’s sports.
Fever teammate Caitlin Clark, one of the WNBA’s biggest stars, did speak with reporters, for the first time since the controversy started. A reporter opened the news conference following Indiana’s 108-100 loss to the Lynx by asking Clark how she and her teammates have navigated the conversation around the issue.
“I think, for us, it’s not really a discussion we really have in our locker room,” Clark said. “I think it’s for leagues and governing bodies to work with their athletes to find solutions. But our focus is on basketball. That’s what we talk about and how we can get wins, and obviously we didn’t do that tonight, so we need to find an area to improve in that way.”
When the same reporter started asking Clark for her reaction on the matter, she cut him off.
“I just answered for you,” she said.
In a July 21 ESPN article, Cunningham said she wants to “protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
The next day, she told reporters that her stance is “kind of common sense,” adding, “I’ll stand on what I said, and I’ll always believe that.”
Before the Fever’s game on Friday in Portland, Cunningham told reporters, “I’m here to play basketball, but I’m also here to be me, and I’m not gonna like shadow that or hide or, you know, dim my light just because maybe people don’t agree with that.”
Speaking to reporters before the same game, Indiana coach Stephanie White expressed some “frustration” in not being able to focus entirely on basketball but said “I also understand this is part of our growth edge as a league.”
“We have to to be able to manage, we have to be able to insulate as much as we can, and then we have to be able to lead with conversation,” she said.
Asked how she would feel about a “biological male” playing in the WNBA, White said: “I’m not educated enough in terms of transgender and transitioning to give you a smart answer. I would say, though, that I just don’t feel like exclusion is an answer, and I think that we need to have deeper, more layered conversations.”
Portland coach Alex Samara told reporters before that the transgender community has the team’s “full support.”
“They’re a very important part of what the values of the Portland Fire are,” he said. “I know our organization is going to be intentional in making sure our fans feel comfortable and supported when they come here to the fire pit.”
Earlier last week, Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton was banned by the WNBA from attending her team’s next five home games after she allegedly cursed at two teenage girls who were holding a sign in support of Cunningham when the Storm was playing the Fever on Tuesday.
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Brianna Turner: WNBA has problems and trans players aren’t one of them
WNBA veteran Brianna Turner said on social media this week that the Indiana Fever fired a male staff member for sexual harassment last season and encouraged players not to speak about the matter.
Turner, who played for Indiana last year and is now a member of the Las Vegas Aces, provided no other details about any alleged incidents. The Fever issued a statement Thursday but did not directly address Turner’s allegations.
“Protecting our players and employees and maintaining a respectful, professional workplace is our top priority,” the Fever said in its statement. “Our policy is to take concerns seriously, investigate thoroughly, and act promptly when appropriate to protect the people in our organization and ensure everyone is treated with professionalism and respect. Fostering trust and safety in that process means we do not comment on personnel matters involving former employees.”
Turner made her comments Wednesday in an X thread in which she defended the right of transgender women to participate in women’s sports. “So many takes about them are based on fear mongering and bigotry,” Turner wrote.
Her posts came a day after an ESPN article quoted Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, Turner’s former teammate, saying she wants “to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
“A tiny minority of the population identifies as trans, yet they are always a trending topic unfortunately. I’m in my 8th season as a WNBA player,” wrote Turner, who did not mention Cunningham in her posts. “To date there’s been one out trans player in the league. They caused zero problems.”
She continued: “An issue that has caused problems though? Last year on my WNBA team a male staff member was fired for sexual harassment, but we were encouraged to keep quiet about it. That is an issue. Sexism, misogyny, homophobia, and racism are all issues.”
Turner spent her first five seasons with Phoenix, then one with Chicago before going to the Fever last year. For those just becoming familiar with her and her beliefs this week, Turner reposted something she wrote a couple years ago.
“If you are new here, I am a vocal ally of the trans community,” Turner wrote on X in 2024. “If that bothers you, don’t hesitate to mute or block me. I don’t have the capacity or patience to debate with internet strangers as to why they should be considerate of marginalized communities.”
In April, Turner penned an opinion piece for USA Today in which she harshly criticized the newly adopted policy by the International Olympic Committee that excludes transgender women athletes from competing at the Olympics, starting with the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
“Policies that single out transgender women and athletes with intersex variations do not protect women’s sports,” Turner wrote. “They manufacture a scapegoat while the real challenges to women’s sports go unaddressed: unequal funding, limited access to training and facilities, pay disparities, male-dominated leadership, gender-based violence and harassment across race, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity.”
On Wednesday, Cunningham said she has nothing against the transgender community but stands by the comments she made in the ESPN article.
“When it comes to just protecting young girls in sport and women in sport, I feel very strongly about that,” Cunningham told reporters. “That’s why you have Title IX. That’s why you have some of the greats in women’s sports. If Title IX and women’s sports weren’t protected, then you wouldn’t hear about any type of women in sport.”
Last year, President Trump signed an executive order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” that looked to ensure that entities receiving federal funding abide by Title IX in alignment with his administration’s view that a person’s sex is the gender they were assigned at birth.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt spoke Thursday in support of Cunningham and her opinions on the matter.
“We want to protect women and girls,” Leavitt said, “and the backlash she is receiving from Democrats and left-wing figures across the country is astonishing.”
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