The WNBA has obviously come a long way in terms of financial growth, visibility, and player welfare, particularly with the most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement. However, for five-time WNBA All-Star Angel McCoughtry, there is still room, and an even greater need, for improvement, especially when it comes to protecting players.
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“One thing that we can also do better is protect the women because we have this new fan base where the girls are getting attacked,” McCoughtry said, speaking on Thursday’s episode of the Get to the Point podcast. “I’ve gotten death threats for covering Caitlin Clark. So, we need protection because I’m not in the league. Who’s protecting me when I have to cover issues about the league?”
McCoughtry’s full question appears in context of her concerns about protection for former players covering the league.
Of course, the WNBA already has provisions in place to protect its players and has significantly upgraded those measures over the last two years. However, there is still room for improvement. In fact, the way McCoughtry sees it, that protection should also extend to former players like herself, particularly given that she remains actively involved in covering the league.
“I think the league can protect the players who are not currently in. I keep saying this: I don’t want to feel like I’m Princess Diana. When I was in the royal family, everything was good, but when I’m out of the royal family, I have to fend for myself. So, that part, protection for players who are not in the royal family at the moment, right?” she added.
While the WNBA does have measures in place to protect its players, the explosion in the league’s popularity has created a growing gap between standard league safety protocols and the extreme, individualized protection needs, especially of some of its most recognizable players. A particularly concerning example of this is the stalking incident that Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham recently revealed.
During an appearance on comedian Theo Von’s podcast, Cunningham made the startling revelation that the FBI is currently tracking approximately 20 individuals on her behalf because of ongoing stalking and safety concerns. In fact, one of her most serious alleged stalkers is already behind bars.
The individual in question is 49-year-old Indianapolis man Kevin Singh, who was arrested in June earlier this year and charged with felony stalking and intimidation, alongside misdemeanor harassment. Singh, who reportedly has a 20-year history of harassing women and was already on probation, is being held at the Marion County Jail. A judge denied his request for a bail reduction, and his jury trial is scheduled for January 2027.
According to court affidavits, Singh hand-delivered a package to the Indiana Fever’s home arena, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, in September 2025. The package reportedly contained a letter and a Guns N’ Roses T-shirt sprayed with cologne. He subsequently bombarded Cunningham with aggressive, sexually explicit, and threatening messages on X, between February and April 2026.
Cunningham told investigators that the harassment had severely affected her mental health, causing persistent nightmares, isolating her at home, and leaving her constantly afraid for her personal safety. And in a rather bizarre but lighthearted twist, Cunningham also revealed on her podcast that she owns a pet miniature donkey named Kevin and is now actively considering whether she needs to give him a new name.
Of course, as McCoughtry also pointed out during the podcast, the WNBA has indeed made significant progress in improving player welfare, particularly with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. For example, in stark contrast to previous contracts, under which pregnant players could face considerable financial pressure or even the risk of being waived, the new agreement establishes stronger pregnancy-related trade protections.
It requires consent before a pregnant player can be traded, expands paid leave for non-birthing parents, and significantly increases life insurance coverage to $700,000, alongside improved dependent travel benefits. The agreement also catered to former players, with a dedicated $14 million lump-sum payout pool specifically set aside to recognize and financially compensate alumni who retired before the 2026 season.
However, despite all these improvements, there is still much more to be done, particularly when it comes to player safety and protection. As McCoughtry’s concerns highlight, the responsibility of ensuring the well-being of those associated with the league should not necessarily end when their playing careers do. With the WNBA continuing to attract a much larger and more passionate fan base, extending adequate protection to former players who remain involved in the league may be another important step forward.