WNBA star Gabby Williams says she would 'welcome' a man on her team or any team 'any time'

Amid renewed discussions on the inclusion of trans-identified males in women’s sports, WNBA Golden State Valkyries power forward Gabby Williams has said that she would welcome male players onto her team. The WNBA stands for Women's National Basketball Association.

Speaking with reporters on Thursday, Williams said she thought trans rights “is our new battle.” The WNBA player continued, “We see trans people’s rights being stripped away from them; there’s a lot of discourse around trans athletes and what they can compete in.”

“I would welcome a trans athlete on my team or against my team, anytime. I don’t think it’s a problem in the world. It’s just another way to kind of attack trans people. We’ve seen players like Layshia Clarendon, who stepped into that forefront, and have been brave enough, and courageous enough, to step up. So I guess that’s the next battle we have to fight as athletes.”

Clarendon was the WNBA’s first openly transgender and non-binary player, retiring from the league in 2024. Notably, Clarendon is a biological female. She identified as trans but remained playing on a team that was sex-segregated for women—she did not attempt to play in the NBA.

The topic of trans athletes playing in women’s sports has reignited in recent weeks, after Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham came out in support of protecting women’s sports from male players. In July, she said, "I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I'm like 'I never once said that.' I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn't have to go against biological men.” 

Since then, supporters have come to Fever games, sporting signs thanking Cunningham for speaking out. One pair of teens was berated at a Seattle game by a co-owner of the Seattle Storm team, resulting in the co-owner being suspended. 

The WNBA could possibly see another transgender athlete, this time a biological male, if a US team decides to draft the 6'3" French player Julie Tétart. The player said in response to being asked about the prospect of getting recruited to play for the WNBA, "If they contact me, I won't say no. But you have to be realistic: I'm old, and there are far better players than me!"