Julie Tétart dominated France’s second-tier women’s basketball league this season. She averaged 21 points and 20 rebounds per game for Monaco Basket Association. She led Ligue 2 in both categories. She set a single-game rebounding record with 30 boards. She won Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Domestic Player of the Year.
When asked if she’d consider joining the WNBA, Tétart didn’t hesitate.
“I won’t say no,” the 34-year-old French transgender player told OutKick in an Instagram message this week. She tempered the response with realism. “But you have to be realistic: I’m old, and there are far better players than me!”
A transgender player has been dominating France’s second-tier women’s basketball league, and now the WNBA question is front and center.
Julie Tétart averages 21 points and 20 rebounds this season while sweeping Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Domestic Player… pic.twitter.com/NCXYqei4Um
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 4, 2026
Her willingness to play in the WNBA surfaced as the league grapples with one of its most contentious debates. Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham sparked a national firestorm by saying transgender athletes shouldn’t compete in women’s sports. Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve responded by wearing a shirt reading ‘Trans Kids Belong’ during a game. The divide between them has split the locker room and the league’s fan base.
Tétart’s comment landed directly in this chaos. She offered a realistic take on her own prospects. The WNBA has no specific policy on transgender athlete eligibility. The league evaluates each case individually, following medical and legal requirements. No transgender athlete has ever played in the W.
The collective bargaining agreement signed in March states that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA,” leaving room for interpretation but no clear guidance on how trans athletes fit into that framework.
On the surface, Tétart’s numbers seem to justify at least a conversation. She didn’t just lead Ligue 2. She dominated it. In one March game, she had 21 points and 30 rebounds, shattering the league’s previous rebounding record. Her performance was so dominant that French media outlets questioned why she wasn’t named league MVP. She won every other major award instead.
Still, Tétart called a WNBA move a “childhood dream” while pointing out it was unlikely. She blamed the political climate in the United States under the Trump administration.
“The league, yes,” she said when asked about WNBA inclusivity. “The country, no, haha.”
Breiden Fehoko’s Challenge Exposes The WNBA’s Inclusion Gap Regarding Julie Tétart
Ex-NFL defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko saw Tétart’s numbers and didn’t hesitate to call out the contradiction. Fehoko played for the Los Angeles Chargers from 2020 to 2022. He’s since become a vocal presence on social media. He directed his latest comments at the WNBA and the Lynx directly.
“Let’s go @WNBA,” Fehoko tweeted. “Y’all wanna include everyone, right? @minnesotalynx. I see a certified 20/20 award-winning player for you to sign. What’s the hold up? Let’s go. Put your money where your mouth is. Stand on business. All that shirt wearing it’s time to put up or shut up.”
Fehoko wasn’t wrong about the numbers. Tétart is a certified 21-20 player, leading a professional women’s basketball league. Riley Gaines, a vocal opponent of transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, even joked about signing Tétart to a made-up Nashville-based WNBA franchise. Even the former NBA player Tristan Thompson spoke against the involvement of trans athletes in the WNBA.
The irony cuts both ways. The WNBA claims to be inclusive. Several coaches and players have spoken out in support of transgender participation. Fever coach Stephanie White said “exclusion is never the answer.” Cheryl Reeve made her position public with that shirt. Yet no offer has come. No team has signed Tétart. No franchise has even publicly explored the possibility beyond media speculation.
Tétart herself acknowledged the gap. She acknowledged her age and the level of competition. She acknowledged that better players exist. But she also made clear she wouldn’t reject an opportunity if one arrived. The ball remains in the WNBA’s court, unanswered and unmoved.
