With the WNBA attempting and failing at its attempt to explain why it can’t simply come out and say a women’s sports league is for women, CNN sports anchor Don Riddell joined Thursday’s News Central to explain it is actually “a non-issue” that is being exploited by “political agitators” who are pushing “divisive agendas in the culture war.”
Host Brianna Keilar wondered, “Don, not only did Cunningham's comments ignite demonstrations on both sides of this debate, the controversy has been elevated by some former NBA players who have declared themselves eligible for the WNBA draft. What is the league doing about this?”
Riddell, who is the kind of sports reporter who thinks ICE in Trump’s America makes the U.S. analogous to Russia and Qatar, responded, “You know, this is just an absolutely extraordinary situation. The WNBA is enjoying a surge in popularity right now, but unfortunately the basketball isn't the biggest story. Instead, what's making headlines is the bickering between the players along simmering racial fault lines. And now we have this transgender issue, a non-issue, really, which has just exploded over the last week or so.”
In the latest installment of crazy sports reporters, CNN's Don Riddell says the idea of talking about transgender basketball players in the WNBA is "a non-issue, really.. And yet Cunningham's call to ban trans girls and women from girls and women's sports has made it a real… pic.twitter.com/kUHO0tp88g
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) August 13, 2026
Throughout his spiel, Riddell would constantly attack what is widely regarded to be the conservative position on transgender sports. However, when it comes to “bickering between the players along simmering racial fault lines," he omitted that the recent controversy there was after a flagrant foul on Cunningham by DiJonai Carrington, who, after being ejected, promptly posted “white privilege” on social media.
As for Riddell, he also wondered why anybody cares about the issue, “As you rightly pointed out there, there aren't any trans players in the league. And yet Cunningham's call to ban trans girls and women from girls and women's sports has made it a real thing. And the actions of political agitators who probably couldn't tell you that much about the league are now using the WNBA to push their own divisive agendas in the culture wars.”
Just because there are no transgender players today does not mean there never will be. A prudent league would be thinking ahead and proactively shutting down the idea a man can compete in the WNBA. However, because it hasn’t, three former NBA players are taking transgenderism’s argument to its logical conclusion, but Ridell thought they were the problem, “All of a sudden, we have this bizarre situation where former NBA players Larry Sanders, Enes Freedom, and Royce White say they are declaring for the WNBA draft next April. The league's collective bargaining agreement says the WNBA is for women. But in 2026, that's a little too vague for some. That's the backstory.”
Rindell also quoted WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert claiming this rather simple topic is actually complex, “This whole narrative has quickly got out of control, and the league is really playing catch-up. Last Friday, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert sent a memo to team presidents and GMs saying, ‘We recognize that this is a complex and nuanced topic and we will continue to have important conversations with all of you and the Players Association in the weeks and months ahead.’”
Back on planet Earth, anywhere from two-thirds to three-fourths of Americans agree with this allegedly “divisive” agenda, but being out of touch is just par for the course when it comes to CNN sports reporters.
Here is a transcript for the August 13 show:
CNN News Central
8/13/2026
1:56 PM ET
BRIANNA KEILAR: Don, not only did Cunningham's comments ignite demonstrations on both sides of this debate, the controversy has been elevated by some former NBA players who have declared themselves eligible for the WNBA draft. What is the league doing about this?
DON RIDDELL: You know, this is just an absolutely extraordinary situation. The WNBA is enjoying a surge in popularity right now, but unfortunately the basketball isn't the biggest story. Instead, what's making headlines is the bickering between the players along simmering racial fault lines. And now we have this transgender issue, a non-issue, really, which has just exploded over the last week or so.
As you rightly pointed out there, there aren't any trans players in the league. And yet Cunningham's call to ban trans girls and women from girls and women's sports has made it a real thing. And the actions of political agitators who probably couldn't tell you that much about the league are now using the WNBA to push their own divisive agendas in the culture wars.
All of a sudden, we have this bizarre situation where former NBA players Larry Sanders, Enes Freedom, and Royce White say they are declaring for the WNBA draft next April. The league's collective bargaining agreement says the WNBA is for women. But in 2026, that's a little too vague for some. That's the backstory.
And that's how we got to this virtual meeting, including the biggest stakeholders in the game. On Wednesday, the league put out this statement saying, “There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA, and we strongly denounce the bad faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others.”
This whole narrative has quickly got out of control, and the league is really playing catch-up. Last Friday, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert sent a memo to team presidents and GMs saying, “We recognize that this is a complex and nuanced topic and we will continue to have important conversations with all of you and the Players Association in the weeks and months ahead.”
Strong leadership is going to be really important here. Some players are in support of Cunningham. Others like Cheryl Reeve and Stefanie Dolson, support transgender athletes in general. Many others have simply declined to get involved. But what is clear is that while controversies like this one rage, the league's core product, the basketball, is going to be sidelined. Many people are getting all of this drama on their social media feeds and not the action, and that's a serious issue that the WNBA needs to get on top of.
