Charles Barkley says men should not play in WNBA

Charles Barkley has weighed in on the debate over “transgender” participation in the WNBA, saying he does not believe men should compete against women and criticizing league leadership for not addressing the issue more directly.

Appearing on a recent SiriusXM podcast with Michael Smerconish, the former NBA star said his position did not reflect hostility toward transgender people.

“I got nothin’ but love and respect for gay people and transgender people,” Barkley said. “But under no circumstances do I think men should play against women. Zero.”

Barkley argued that NBA commissioner Adam Silver and WNBA commissioner Kathy Engelbert should have publicly clarified the league’s position before the controversy gained momentum online.

“Adam should come out, and Kathy — I like both of them a lot — women can, there’s no transgender people going to play in the WNBA,” Barkley said. “If you don’t like it, kick rocks, and we’re not going to discuss it anymore.”

His comments followed a wider public dispute involving former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, who reportedly sought clarification regarding eligibility for the 2027 WNBA Draft. According to Reuters, anonymous sources said the WNBA was not planning to accept their bids, while the league’s collective bargaining agreement does not explicitly define draft eligibility by providing detailed criteria for determining whether a player qualifies as female.

Barkley said Kanter Freedom had raised a legitimate point by questioning why Silver and Engelbert had not issued a clearer response. He argued that leaving the issue unresolved allowed the controversy to continue and attract further attention.

The debate has also drawn current NBA players into the discussion. Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma defended Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham after leftist commentator Chris Williamson criticized the WNBA for not disciplining Cunningham over her comments opposing biological males competing in women’s sports.

“What was transphobic about her comment?” Kuzma wrote on X. “She said she wants to protect women and young girls in sports and that they should not play against biological men… yeah let’s go ahead and discipline her 😵‍💫”

Cunningham became a prominent figure in the debate after making public comments in July about competitive fairness, Title IX and protections for female athletes. She said she did not hate transgender people and later described her position as “common sense.”