NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley stated that the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is "for women only" and criticized league leadership for not clarifying policies regarding transgender athletes. Barkley made his remarks during an interview on CNN host Michael Smerconish's podcast.
Barkley's comments come amid ongoing debate surrounding transgender athletes' participation in women's sports. He referenced the recent incident where former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom was reportedly confronted at a WNBA game for wearing a t-shirt that read "WOMAN noun. adult human female."
"I'm disappointed in [NBA commissioner] Adam Silver and Cathy [Engelbert] the [WNBA] commissioner," Barkley said. "First of all, you can't let stupid stuff go out to the internet... They should have come out two weeks ago before all this. People are looking for attention now...but [Freedom] has a point though, because Cathy and Adam haven't said, 'Hey, it's in the title, WNBA.'"
Barkley urged commissioners to draw a line, suggesting they state, "There's no transgender people going to play in the WNBA. If you don't like it, kick rocks. And we're not going to discuss it anymore."
He added that the WNBA's current approach is damaging its reputation. "When's the last time you heard something positive about the WNBA? I can't even remember. And I'm a WNBA fan," Barkley stated.
The WNBA's official rules state that "only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA," but the league's rules do not explicitly define the term "woman."
Jennifer Sey, founder and CEO of XX-XY Athletics, praised Barkley's remarks, saying he was "bold enough to say it out loud." Peyton McNabb, an ambassador for Independent Women, echoed this sentiment, stating that the league should "stand up for women" and clarify its position.
However, May Mailman, director of the Independent Women's Law Center, expressed skepticism that Barkley's comments would significantly alter public discourse, noting that players who have spoken out on the issue have faced backlash. "Men should not play in women’s sports, and everyone knows what that means. The real question is whether Barkley speaking up will give others confidence to do so," Mailman said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the NBA and WNBA for comment.