Riley Gaines has been under the WNBA spotlight since she showered praises on Sophie Cunningham, taking a dig at the league for not marketing her enough. In another shot at the WNBA’s latest initiative of making the All-Star a “gender expansive” event, the former swimmer criticized the management’s decision to invite the LGBTQ+ youth to join the league.
Gaines has been one of the most vocal critics of including transgender women in women’s sports. She often keeps her views against transgender rights openly on social media. After retiring from the sport, she became a political activist, actively campaigning for the Republican Party and President Donald Trump. She works for both FOX and OutKick.
Aligning with her stance, the former athlete called out the WNBA for its new initiative and wrote:
“In the least surprising news of the day, the WNBA continues to be a parody of a professional sports league committed to it’s own self-implosion”
Inclusion of transgender women has been a divisive topic in the sports world. However, the WNBA has been a known supporter of LGBTQ+ inclusion with its Pride initiative. The WNBA All-Star is scheduled for this weekend, as fans look forward to the stars in action.
Chicago set to host the WNBA All-Star game amid on-court issues
The 2026 WNBA All-Star weekend will be held at United Center in Chicago, as the Sky deals with another dismal season. They are currently 9-17 and second-to-last in the Eastern Conference, only ahead of the Connecticut Sun. With the launch of the team’s new arena postponed, the All-Star weekend is expected to bring much-needed energy to the city.
Led by Kamilla Cardoso and Azura Stevens on the offense, the Sky squad was already struggling with their performance when the Skylar Diggins-Courtney Vandersloot saga broke out. While the veteran guard was out with her ACL tear, Diggins played in the starting lineup.
With Vandersloot’s return, the team seemingly preferred her for the starting squad and shifted Diggins to a bench role, which did not go down well with the latter. She ranted about it on social media and has been out of the team since then.
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