Hall of Fame basketball player Charles Barkley has identified race, sexuality and jealousy as key factors driving tensions among WNBA players in an interview with Michael Smerconish.
Barkley compared the league’s current conflicts to the 1980s rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, noting that while “racial undertones” might have been present during their competition, “there was always respect.” He stated that this same mutual respect cannot be found among today’s WNBA players, particularly DiJonai Carrington.
The former Phoenix Suns forward criticized Carrington for a recent X post reading “White privilege” following a hard foul by WNBA star Sophie Cunningham that resulted in her being penalized. Barkley called it “stupid on her part.”
When asked about the league’s performance, Barkley said: “They’re not having a great year.” He also asserted that WNBA players have a problem with Indiana Fever stars Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham, claiming they do not like them due to “race, sexuality or whatever.”
Barkley concluded his remarks by stating: “There’s something going on with those women. Period… They’re either jealous [or it’s] sexuality or race.” He further emphasized that the WNBA should be exclusively for women and that no man—regardless of how much surgery he has—should compete against female athletes.
The analyst quoted Cunningham as saying: “No, I’m protecting girls. No, no transvestites in the WNBA.” Barkley added that negative press on the league has not yielded positive results and expressed surprise at how little positive attention the WNBA receives compared to the NFL.
