The recent controversies surrounding the WNBA and some of its marquee stars normally get ignored on the Elitist Media Evening News. CBS News is the rare exception, and viewers of the CBS Evening News got to see reporting on both the flagrant foul against Sophie Cunningham AND a couple of former NBA players making themselves available to the upcoming WNBA Draft.
Watch the full report below, as aired on the CBS Evening News on Monday, August 10th, 2026:
WATCH: @CBSEveningNews reports both the latest incident with Sophie Cunningham, AND Enes Kanter and Royce White declaring for the WNBA Draft.
TONY DOKOUPIL: One of the biggest stories in sports and culture this year took a new turn over the weekend. It began when WNBA star… pic.twitter.com/StWm5VcwJ8— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) August 11, 2026
TONY DOKOUPIL: One of the biggest stories in sports and culture this year took a new turn over the weekend. It began when WNBA star Sophie Cunningham, already at the center of a fight over transgender participation, took a flagrant foul from an opposing player who was ejected from the game. Our Jan Crawford is following the story.
ANNOUNCER: Here's Cunningham up ahead of the field, lays it in!
JAN CRAWFORD: It was a hard foul, as the Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham went in for a layup. She took a hit across the face and neck that led to an immediate ejection for the Chicago Sky’s DiJonai Carrington. Escorted to the locker room, Carrington turned to social media posting “WHITE PRIVILEGE”, and creating yet another controversy for the WNBA. Never one to back down, Cunningham shot back saying, according to ESPN, “This has nothing to do with race. Last year I did the same thing and I got kicked out, and I deserved to be kicked out. There's no reason to even play that card.” Late today, Carrington posted she never claimed the assessment of the foul was white privilege. Saturday's exchange has sparked a flashpoint for a league already struggling with questions of transgender participation. Last month, Cunningham was the first WNBA player to speak out against it.
SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM: I said what I said, I think it's kind of common sense.
CRAWFORD: Fans on both sides of that debate have been vocal. And trying to prove a point, two former NBA players said they would identify as women and declare for the WNBA draft.
ENES KANTER FREEDOM: I just declared for the 2027 WNBA draft in April.
CRAWFORD: The firestorm has put a harsh spotlight on the WNBA with critics saying the league wasn’t ready for its explosion of popularity. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the league will discuss the transgender issue this week. Jan Crawford, CBS News, Washington.
As CBS News Chief Legal Correspondent, Jan Crawford normally covers matters pertaining to the Supreme Court. In the SCOTUS offseason, she appears to have become CBS’s Chief WNBA Correspondent as well.
Crawford’s reporting here was down the line. Crawford reported the facts surrounding the flagrant foul on Cunningham, letting the video of the foul speak for itself rather than “season” it with agenda-loaded reporting.
Likewise, Crawford doesn’t flinch when talking about the recent announcements by Enes Kanter and Royce White to enter into the 2027 draft. The whole purpose of Cunningham’s stance is to defend women and girls’ sports. Now you have a pair of grown men openly exposing the need to protect women and girls’ sports.
The Elitist Media normally look the other way when considering whether to report cultural items that run counternarrative. Caitlin Clark's impact in the WNBA was once a good story but is now uncomfortable to report. Credit to CBS for being the ONLY broadcast network evening newscast to air BOTH controversies currently encircling the WNBA.
