UConn women’s basketball coach says WNBA should drop transgender athlete discussion for now

The University of Connecticut women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma says the WNBA should stop debating about transgender athletes unless a real case comes before the league.

Auriemma discussed the issue during a TMZ Sports interview⁠ published Friday.

“Well, not to belittle it at all because I don’t mean to – because listen, you know, people have a right to their opinion. I get it,” Auriemma said. “But why are we making a big issue over an issue that doesn’t exist?”

Auriemma said no male who identifies as transgender has played in the WNBA. He also said he knows of no such player who may soon seek a roster spot.

“I don’t remember reading where there’s transsexual players in the WNBA,” Auriemma said. “I don’t remember reading where they were being presented with cases where this is going to happen next week. I don’t see an issue. Why are we making it an issue?”

Yet the WNBA has not set a clear rule based on biological sex.

The league’s 2026 collective bargaining agreement⁠ says, “Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.”

The agreement never defines “women.” It does not say whether a male who identifies as a woman may play.

A group of WNBA team presidents and general managers met Wednesday to discuss the issue. The league set no new rule after the meeting.

“There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA, and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others,” a league spokesman said⁠.

This response left the main question unanswered. The league never said how it would rule if a male athlete who identifies as a woman sought a roster spot.

The matter drew more attention after Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham spoke about protecting female athletes.

As Heartlander News previously reported⁠, Cunningham said love for others does not require denying the truth about anatomical sex.

“I think that I am here to extend love,” Cunningham said. “But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”

Cunningham faced protests plus harsh attacks over her remarks. She later said she wanted the focus to return to basketball but never took back her position.

Auriemma argued some people are keeping the debate alive for selfish reasons. He did not name Cunningham or anyone else.

“We’re making it an issue because there’s enough people out there that need this to be an issue for their own personal gain,” Auriemma said.

He said fans should spend more time talking about the league’s talent.

“I think we should talk about the players,” Auriemma said. “We should talk about the teams. We should talk about the incredible young group of players that have come into the league. We should talk about how incredible some of these teams are.”

Auriemma is college basketball’s all-time wins leader. He has led UConn to 12 national titles.

His UConn team plays under NCAA rules⁠. The NCAA does not let male athletes compete on women’s teams.

Most Americans support the NCAA’s standard.

A recent Pew Research Center report⁠ found 73% of Americans are uncomfortable with transgender athletes playing on teams that do not match their sex.