Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve wore a shirt reading “Trans Kids Belong” during her team’s highly anticipated showdown against Sophie Cunningham and the Indiana Fever on Sunday. It wasn’t lost on anyone that the statement was a response to Cunningham’s stance that women shouldn’t be asked to compete against biological men.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith strongly reacted to Reeve’s decision to display that message.
​Cheryl Reeve Draws Sharp Criticism From Stephen A. Smith Over Opposition to Sophie Cunningham
Before the Fever-Lynx matchup, Reeve was asked during her pregame press conference about Cunningham’s stance on transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
Reeve responded that she approaches the issue “from a space of inclusion,” adding that “we need to protect trans kids” as well. She later reinforced that message by coaching the game while wearing a “Trans Kids Belong” shirt underneath her blazer.
Her comments drew a fiery response from Smith, who firmly disagreed with the Lynx coach’s position.
On Tuesday’s episode of “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” the veteran commentator delivered a pointed critique.
“You are Cheryl Reeve, the head coach of the Minnesota Lynx. That is an irresponsible thing to do. You are a coach for a female basketball team! Do you not think that the females are being screwed over if they have to compete against an individual born as a male? What are you talking about?” Smith said.
“… Nobody said you can’t transition from male to female. The issue here is competing against the women. That’s what Sophie Cunningham was talking about.”
Smith’s remarks echoed the position he took last month after Cunningham first addressed the issue publicly. At the time, he argued that if an NBA player transitioned to the WNBA, the competitive imbalance would be obvious. Based on that analogy, Smith said Cunningham was “1,000% correct.”
When Cunningham doubled down on her take, she stressed that “there’s room for absolutely everyone” and that she wants “to extend love” to the LGBTQ+ community. At the same time, the eight-year WNBA veteran has maintained that she won’t “ever falter” in her belief that girls and women should not compete against biological men or share locker rooms with them.
Reeve is the latest prominent WNBA coach to publicly disagree with Cunningham. Last month, Fever coach Stephanie White also faced criticism after saying she was “not educated enough from a scientific standpoint” to fully support her player’s position before adding that “exclusion is not the answer.”
As the debate continues to spill beyond the sports world, Cunningham’s comments and the reactions they generate remain one of the WNBA’s most closely watched off-court storylines, drawing responses from coaches, players, media figures, politicians, and fans alike.
