Key Takeaways
- Las Vegas Aces forward Brianna Turner says a male staffer on her former team, the Indiana Fever, was fired for sexual harassment and claims players were urged to stay quiet, arguing this is a more urgent issue in women’s basketball than the current debate over transgender athletes.
- Turner contrasts her experience with the league’s record of having just one out trans player who she says caused “zero problems,” while the Fever respond with a generic statement about prioritizing safety and refusing to discuss former employees.
- Her comments land amid ex-teammate Sophie Cunningham’s push to “protect young girls” from competing against “biological men” and broader scrutiny of who holds power in the WNBA, where men still make up about 30% of league office staff despite women leading most teams and coaching roles.
The WNBA's heated debate over transgender athletes took an unexpected turn after Las Vegas Aces forward Brianna Turner alleged that a male employee was fired for sexual harassment while she was with the Indiana Fever—and claimed players were encouraged to stay quiet about it.
According to ESPN, Turner, who spent the 2025 season with the Fever before joining the Aces, made the allegation in a series of posts on X. She did not identify the employee or provide details about the alleged misconduct, but suggested the incident exposed a far more pressing issue inside women's basketball than the one currently dominating headlines.
The Fever responded with a statement reaffirming its commitment to workplace safety but declined to address Turner's specific claims, citing its policy against commenting on former employees or personnel matters.
The comments came as players continue to publicly weigh in on transgender participation in women's sports. Turner argued that the league's actual track record tells a different story.
"To date there's been one out trans player in the league. They caused zero problems," she wrote. "An issue that has caused problems though? Last year on my WNBA team a male staff member was fired for sexual harassment, but we were encouraged to keep quiet about it. That is an issue."
Without confirming Turner's account, the Fever said they prioritize maintaining a safe and professional workplace. "Protecting our players and employees and maintaining a respectful, professional workplace is our top priority," the organization said. "Our policy is to take concerns seriously, investigate thoroughly, and act promptly when appropriate to protect the people in our organization and ensure everyone is treated with professionalism and respect. Fostering trust and safety in that process means we do not comment on personnel matters involving former employees."
Turner's posts landed just days after former Fever teammate Sophie Cunningham sparked headlines with her own comments about transgender athletes in an ESPN interview.
Cunningham said criticism of her stance had been misplaced. "I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I'm like, 'I never once said that,'" she said. "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."
The discussion has also put a spotlight on who works behind the scenes in the league. According to a 2022 diversity report, women accounted for roughly 69.4% of WNBA league office staff and held 75% of team president positions at the time.
