Valkryies Coach Counters Sophie Cunningham On Trans Athletes: 'sports Is About Belonging'

Natalie Nakase was astir to coach nan Golden State Valkryies against nan Toronto Tempo connected Sunday erstwhile she was asked astir a contention surrounding a different squad and 1 of its players.

The WNBA’s first Asian-American coach was much than happy to springiness her sentiment astir transgender women playing successful women’s sports, which has loomed complete nan convention since Indiana Fever defender Sophie Cunningham said retired against it past month.

“Thank you for that question,” Nakase, a erstwhile Clippers adjunct coach, said during her pregame news conference. “For me, sports is astir belonging. It’s astir inclusivity. It’s astir allowing everyone to beryllium their authentic self. You know, I’m large connected that conscionable because I person been criticized for my height, for my ethnicity.

“I’ve been successful those ‘you shouldn’t beryllium here’ [discussions] galore times. And for me, I don’t want that space, particularly Golden State, to ever consciousness for illustration that. So I’m each astir women, small girls deserving to play, and that includes trans women. So I’m each astir inclusivity.”

Nakase’s comments came connected nan aforesaid time that Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve wore a T-shirt that publication “Trans kids belong” nether her overgarment during her team’s crippled against nan Fever. Reeve and Cunningham were seen speaking earlier nan game, but nan WNBA’s all-time winningest coach declined to uncover nan specifications of their chat to reporters afterward.

“Both of america understand that we person platforms and we some talked astir wanting to, much than anything, educate,” Reeve said. “And location are immoderate things that we person successful common, and possibly immoderate things you disagree on, conscionable for illustration immoderate issues, and I deliberation it’s really you grip things.”

It was nan 3rd consecutive Fever roadworthy crippled astatine which supporters of some sides of nan statement gathered extracurricular nan arena to rally for their cause. It was besides nan 3rd consecutive crippled astatine which Cunningham received boos from nan crowd wrong nan arena.

Cunningham, who didn’t speak pinch reporters aft nan game, posed for pictures pinch Jennifer Sey and Riley Gaines, 2 outspoken governmental activists against transgender women successful women’s sports.

Fever teammate Caitlin Clark, 1 of nan WNBA’s biggest stars, did speak pinch reporters, for nan first clip since nan contention started. A newsman opened nan news convention pursuing Indiana’s 108-100 nonaccomplishment to nan Lynx by asking Clark really she and her teammates person navigated nan speech astir nan issue.

“I think, for us, it’s not really a chat we really person successful our locker room,” Clark said. “I deliberation it’s for leagues and governing bodies to activity pinch their athletes to find solutions. But our attraction is connected basketball. That’s what we talk astir and really we tin get wins, and evidently we didn’t do that tonight, truthful we request to find an area to amended successful that way.”

When nan aforesaid newsman started asking Clark for her guidance connected nan matter, she trim him off.

“I conscionable answered for you,” she said.

In a July 21 ESPN article, Cunningham said she wants to “protect young girls successful a locker room, aliases young girls successful athletics who shouldn’t person to spell against biologic men.”

The adjacent day, she told reporters that her stance is “kind of communal sense,” adding, “I’ll guidelines connected what I said, and I’ll ever judge that.”

Before nan Fever’s crippled connected Friday successful Portland, Cunningham told reporters, “I’m present to play basketball, but I’m besides present to beryllium me, and I’m not gonna for illustration protector that aliases hide or, you know, dim my ray conscionable because possibly group don’t work together pinch that.”

Speaking to reporters earlier nan aforesaid game, Indiana coach Stephanie White expressed immoderate “frustration” successful not being capable to attraction wholly connected hoops but said “I besides understand this is portion of our maturation separator arsenic a league.”

“We person to to beryllium capable to manage, we person to beryllium capable to insulate arsenic overmuch arsenic we can, and past we person to beryllium capable to lead pinch conversation,” she said.

Asked really she would consciousness astir a “biological male” playing successful nan WNBA, White said: “I’m not knowledgeable capable successful position of transgender and transitioning to springiness you a smart answer. I would say, though, that I conscionable don’t consciousness for illustration removal is an answer, and I deliberation that we request to person deeper, much layered conversations.”

Portland coach Alex Samara told reporters earlier that nan transgender organization has nan team’s “full support.”

“They’re a very important portion of what nan values of nan Portland Fire are,” he said. “I cognize our statement is going to beryllium intentional successful making judge our fans consciousness comfortable and supported erstwhile they travel present to nan occurrence pit.”

Earlier past week, Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton was banned by nan WNBA from attending her team’s adjacent 5 location games aft she allegedly cursed astatine 2 teenage girls who were holding a motion successful support of Cunningham erstwhile nan Storm was playing nan Fever connected Tuesday.