There are no transgender women actually attempting to play in the WNBA–Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White don’t count–but Julie Tetart is coming off a reportedly dominant campaign for Monaco Basket Association in France’s Ligue Féminine 2.
Tetart averaged 21.2 points and 20.2 rebounds per game during the 2025-26 season, leading the league in both categories. Two of Tetart’s teammates recently sat down for an interview with the French podcast “Club Five,” during which they compared facing the 6-foot-3 forward, who is listed at 195 pounds.
‘The difference is huge’Martina Bestagno, a 6-foot-3 center, compared her experience “really big players such as Brittney Griner (6-foot-9, 219 pounds) and Isabelle Yacoubou (6-foot-3, 220-229 pounds)” to Tetart and said that while Griner and Yacoubou are “probably bigger” than the 34-year-old transgender standout, size isn’t all that matters.
“It’s not just the size, it’s the combination of size and strength,” Bestagno said. “That is something that I never went against it before. Of course, we’re playing with her, but during the week, you’re going against her in practice and it’s something that I never had to face before. I was blown away by the difference talking about strength. The difference is huge.”
Sara Crudo, a 6-foot-1 forward who appeared alongside Bestagno, said facing Tetart is “like a train that is coming into you.”
Both women expressed overall support for the transgender community, with Bestagno saying they “don’t deserve” the “hate” they receive and adding that technically, Tetart is “doing nothing wrong” because she’s allowed to play. However, Bestagno and Crudo both disagreed with the concept of transgender women in women’s sports.
“Absolutely,” Crudo responded when asked if it was “unfair” to allow Tetart to play. “Nothing against transgender people…This is too much, and I’m sorry to say this, but I don’t understand why no one says it.”
So, about the WNBA?Interestingly, despite these comments, when asked if Tetart would “dominate” in the WNBA, Crudo said “not at all,” and Bestagno also expressed doubts.
“Physically, she is probably the strongest that I ever faced. With that being said, basketball is not athletics. It’s not because you’re the strongest automatically you are the best player,” Bestagno explained, adding that she’s “against the concept” that every transgender woman would “dominate no matter what.”
Regardless, despite saying earlier this month that playing in the WNBA would be “a childhood dream just like for any female basketball player,” Tetart also threw cold water on the possibility of her coming to America to play in the league.
“If they contact me, I won’t say no,” Tetart said. “But you have to be realistic: I’m old, and there are far better players than me!”
The post ‘The difference is huge’: Transgender basketball star’s teammates compare her to Brittney Griner appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.