Geno Auriemma, one of the best-known college basketball coaches, had recently clarified his stance on the transgender issue. Auriemma, the most celebrated women’s college basketball coach alongside Dawn Staley and Kim Mulkey, appeared on Open Mike, a podcast show by TMZ Sports on August 13. He gave his opinion on the growing transgender issue in the WNBA, especially for a coach who has coached women for almost half a century.
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“But why are we making a big issue over an issue that doesn’t exist? I don’t remember reading where there’s transsexual players in the WNBA. I don’t remember reading where they were being presented with cases where this is going to happen next week. I don’t see an issue. Why are we making it an issue?”
The issue that Auriemma was adamant does not exist during his time on the TMZ Sports’ Open Mike show is the question of whether transgender athletes are to be allowed in the WNBA. The problem first came to light after ESPN’s profile on Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham in July, when she expressed her desire to protect young women from having to compete against biological men in their sport. Sophie Cunningham received both backlash and support for her stance, with fans holding rallies outside the venue before Fever games. As one of the most respected women’s basketball coaches ever, Auriemma’s opinion on the matter is of prime importance.
Auriemma’s comments come at a time when the WNBA is facing severe heat for its eligibility criteria. The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) was brought into effect in March 2026 and states that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” What it does not address are cases of gender identity or sex assigned at birth. This has allowed former NBA players like Enes Kanter Freedom, Royce White, and Larry Sanders to publicly claim that they identify as women and their intent to declare for the 2027 WNBA draft.
Auriemma doesn’t seem bothered by the recent raging debate, believing that none of these issues are immediate problems for the W. He chooses, rather, to focus on the great things that the WNBA is achieving.
“And I think we should talk about the players. We should talk about the teams. We should talk about the incredible young group of players that have come into the league. We should talk about how incredible some of these teams are. How attendance is up everywhere. Viewership is up everywhere. Price of new franchises is through the roof. Why are we talking about an issue that doesn’t exist? “
Auriemma is speaking from his experience as the winningest coach in NCAA Division I basketball history. His time at the University of Connecticut has made the program one of the very best in the country. He has led the team to twelve national championships, coaching several MVP-calibre players to the WNBA. League greats such as Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, and Tina Charles have all played under the legendary coach at UConn. UConn produced the first-round picks in both 2025 and 2026: Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, now Dallas Wings stars, both of whom trained under Auriemma.
As the W is in the midst of a problematic phase with the transgender issue, Auriemma believes that we should celebrate the breakthroughs and achievements of the league instead. He looks forward to the games, and the fans will too as the playoffs get closer each day. The Minnesota Lynx are set to face the Las Vegas Aces in what is expected to be a closely matched game on August 15. It will undoubtedly be an exciting showdown between the No. 1 and No. 3 teams in the league currently.