Charles Barkley has spent recent days delivering blunt assessments of the WNBA. After he criticized Adam Silver and Cathy Engelbert over the transgender athlete debate, he offered a wider reality check on the league’s public standing. The Hall of Famer believes the negatives have completely overtaken the positives.

Charles Barkley said the WNBA has had “an awful year” when it comes to publicity.

“What’s the last time they got some good publicity?” he asked on Michael Smerconish’s SiriusXM show. “I can’t even remember. And I’m a WNBA fan. Like between this transgender, the hard, dirty fouls. I’m like, yo, man… What’s going to happen, once the NFL start in two weeks, nobody’s going to care about the WNBA.”

Barkley was careful to separate what happens on the court from the narrative building in recent weeks. He praised Minnesota Lynx rookie Olivia Miles, saying she “should be the MVP” after leading the team to the best record while Napheesa Collier has been sidelined. “She’s amazing. She’s a rookie… She’s unbelievable.” He also called A’ja Wilson “the best player in the world.” Yet those stories, in his view, have been buried under controversy.

He specifically referenced Sophie Cunningham. He said he could not believe people got mad at her “for telling the truth” when she spoke about protecting girls’ sports. The combination of the transgender debate, physical play, and other headlines has, according to Barkley, left the league without recent positive headlines despite major off-court gains.

The controversy Charles Barkley addressed started with Phoenix Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham. She publicly stated that she was speaking up to protect young girls from competing against biological males in women’s sports.

Her comments triggered intense debate across social media and sports media. The issue escalated further when former NBA players, most notably Enes Kanter Freedom, publicly declared interest in joining the WNBA while identifying as women and used high-profile appearances, including Kanter’s courtside protest and eventual ejection at a Chicago Sky game, to keep the topic in the spotlight.

Charles Barkley Says Positive WNBA Stories Have Been Drowned Out

Barkley listed the wins the league has achieved this summer. Players received significant raises and began earning money that they deserved. The league expanded and will increase its schedule next season. “This was a great summer for them,” he said. The problem, in his assessment, is that none of those developments have been as loud as the negative publicity.

The contrast with Olivia Miles’ rookie season was deliberate. Barkley repeatedly returned to the 23-year-old’s production and the Lynx’s record as the kind of feel-good, basketball-first story the league should be riding and talking about more. Instead, he argued, the public conversation has been dominated by issues that have little to do with the actual games.

Charles Barkley’s closed with a sharp warning. Once the NFL season begins in two weeks, he predicted, “nobody’s going to care about the WNBA.” The comment framed his point that a league that finally secured better pay and expansion is watching its momentum disappear under a wave of controversy.