Former NBA forward Matt Barnes is speaking out against transgender athletes competing against women in professional sports.
When asked during an interview with VladTV what he thought about transgender players playing in the WNBA, Barnes immediately fired back, “I don’t like that.”
“I think, you know, I think if, and this is a deep, to each his own, you want to be whatever you want to be,” he said. “But I mean, if you’re born a certain [gender] you should play it. Whatever you’re born I, to me, I feel like you should play in that space. I feel like you should, because to me, it’s just you see that the swimmer and all this kind of stuff, and again, I’m pro-make your choice. Do you, do this, but, you know, sports is different. You know, I mean, sports is a different, is a different beast.”
When asked what would happen if a top NBA player were to join the WNBA, Barnes said that would “change the whole dynamic of the game.”
“So it’s just like, to me, I just like to each his own and respect, you know, whatever personal says you want to make, but when it comes to sports, it’s just, I mean, crossing that line is a line that shouldn’t be crossed,” he added.
WATCH:
TRANSCRIPT:
INTERVIEWER: Tell me what you think about trans players potentially playing for the WNBA? Do you think that will potential change it?
MATT BARNES: I don’t like that. I think, you know, I think if and this is a deep, to each his own, you wanna, you wanna, you want to be whatever you want to be. But I mean, if you’re born a certain you should play it, whatever you’re born I, to me, I feel like you should play in that space. I feel like you should, because to me, it’s just you see that the swimmer and all this kind of stuff, and again, I’m pro-make your choice. Do you, do this, but, you know, sports is different. You know, I mean, sports is a different, is a different beast. You know, you saw I think you’ve seen a trans fighter too, right?
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
BARNES: Yeah. You know what I mean? It’s just to me, it’s, I don’t like that. If you’re born a woman, I think you should play a women’s sports and if you’re born a man I think you should play man sports, but if you want to be, you know, you want to, you know, do whatever you want to do with your life. I respect that. It’s not my business. But, you know, I mean, I just think the sports thing is just a little different.
INTERVIEWER: Well yeah, but you saw with the swimmer ended up winning a championship on the women’s side, where on the men’s side, he was ranked like 150th. I’ve always said like, imagine if Kevin Durant, put on a wig, and joined the WNBA. Like, what would happen? It’d be like 100, zero, like, every day.
BARNES: It would change the whole dynamic of the game, you know what I mean? So it’s just like, to me, I just like to each his own and respect, you know, whatever personal says you want to make, but when it comes to sport, it’s just, I mean, crossing that line is a line that shouldn’t be crossed.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah, I mean, it was I think it was Gilbert Arenas. I think his girls had, I think one of his daughters played in a game with a trans player.
BARNES: Oh, really?
INTERVIEWER: And actually won.