NBA champ Andrew Bogut slams Australian women's basketball league as it mulls accepting transgender female
Basketball Australia has asked for 'patience' as it works through the process
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Andrew Bogut, a former NBA star who won a championship with the Golden State Warriors, slammed an Australian women’s basketball league for allowing a transgender female to play in the league.
Bogut addressed the issue Sunday in a tweet and called on "Girl Dads" to speak up about the issue.
"Word is @NBL1 South Women will have a biological Male playing this upcoming season," he wrote. "Are you ok with sacrificing the sanctity of Female Sport in the name of ‘inclusion’?
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Andrew Bogut looks on during game three of the NBL Grand Final series between Sydney Kings and Tasmania JackJumpers at Qudos Bank Arena on May 11, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. (Matt King/Getty Images)
"#GirlDads where are you? The hashtag is trendy until action is needed."
The former No. 1 overall NBA draft pick further explained in a video posted to his Instagram.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The [NBL1 South] clubs were asked for their opinion on it, comically. None of them did in fear of losing their jobs,' he said, though no coaches have commented on the matter," he said.
Bogut added he had no issues with transgender males or females but wanted to protect the sanctity of women’s sports.
"I've got nothing against people who want to transition as adults.... I do have an issue however that you feel that you can infiltrate women's sport," Bogut said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Basketball Australia confirmed Monday that a transgender athlete applied to join the league as the country’s governing body announced new benchmarks for transgender athletes wanting to compete in sports that don’t line up with their biological gender, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
The organization asked for "patience" throughout the process.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Andrew Bogut speaks during a retirement presentation at halftime of the NBL match between Sydney Kings and Brisbane Bullets at Qudos Bank Arena, on June 5, 2021, in Sydney, Australia. (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
"It’s been disappointing to see the negative commentary and hurtful language used across social media over the past 24 hours," Basketball Australia said.
"We ask for patience and understanding as we support Basketball Victoria in navigating through this complex space with integrity and respect for all involved, and also thank those in the community who have shown sensitivities at this time."
The Kilsyth Cobras said the athlete was in the final stages of the new eligibility process, according to the paper. Club executive Will van Poppel said there were no messages of concerns relayed to him about the ordeal.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Basketball Victoria, in collaboration with Basketball Australia, has developed guidelines for the inclusion of transgender and gender diverse people in basketball to evaluate athlete eligibility," he said.
"The athlete has undertaken all the necessary medical and physical testing required to determine eligibility, and we are waiting to hear the outcome from Basketball Victoria. The athlete will continue to train with our squad pending the outcome."
Andrew Bogut during the NBL Semi Final series between the Illawarra Hawks and the Sydney Kings at WIN Entertainment Centre on April 29, 2022, in Wollongong, Australia. (Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The NBL1 South is an NBL1 conference based in the southeastern part of Australia. The NBL1 is a semi-pro basketball league based in the country. There are 19 women’s clubs in the league.