WNBA coach leaves it to the league to handle transgender eligibility issue amid mounting criticism
Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts said Tuesday night it’s up to the league office when it comes to the WNBA’s transgender eligibility policy as the league faced criticism from Charles Barkley.
Barkley, a Basketball Hall of Famer and former Phoenix Suns star, said on a podcast earlier this week he was “disappointed in Adam Silver and Cathy Engelbert” for failing to nip the transgender athlete issue in the bud when they had the chance.
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Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts yells to his team during a game against the Fire at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Aug. 16, 2026. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
OutKick asked Tibbetts about Barkley’s comments before Phoenix’s 94-84 loss to the Washington Mystics.
“Yeah, I’m going to leave that to the league office,” Tibbetts said. “That’s their job. We’re here to play a basketball game here tonight.”
OutKick asked the WNBA and NBA for a reaction to Tibbetts’ comments but has yet to hear back.
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Trans athlete supporters hold signs and flags outside Barclays Center before a game between the New York Liberty and the Indiana Fever on Aug. 22, 2026, in Brooklyn, N.Y. Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham stated in July that she opposes transgender women and girls competing in female sports. (Getty Images)
The WNBA’s eligibility policy is opaque at best. The league’s collective bargaining agreement states that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” However, it doesn’t include specific language on whether players who are born male and identify as female could compete in the league. Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White have since declared their intentions to enter the WNBA Draft.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert denounced those she claimed are trying to “sow divisiveness” over the transgender issue.
“People are trying to use the league to sow divisiveness,” Engelbert said earlier this month.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks prior to the 2026 WNBA Draft at The Shed on April 13, 2026, in New York City. (Getty Images)
“We’re being the center of political football for people who have never watched the WNBA, never have written about the WNBA or reported on the WNBA.”
