Charles Barkley opposes biological men playing in the WNBA

Former NBA player Charles Barkley has expressed opposition to biological men playing in the WNBA. During an interview with Michael Smerconish, Barkley stated that while he supports the gay and transgender communities, he believes biological men should not have the opportunity to compete in the women's league.

Barkley’s comments follow a recent incident involving Enes Kanter Freedom, who was ejected from a game between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky after wearing a provocative T-shirt regarding the definition of a woman. Barkley also criticized NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert for not addressing transgender athlete eligibility sooner.

In response to the growing debate, Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts stated that the responsibility for handling transgender eligibility policies lies with the league office rather than individual teams. The WNBA’s current collective bargaining agreement specifies that only players who are women are eligible, but it lacks explicit language regarding players born male who identify as female. Commissioner Engelbert has previously characterized attempts to use the league to discuss these issues as efforts to ‘sow divisiveness’.