One of the WNBA’s most prominent voices wants her league to consider the place of women in America at the birth of the country before agreeing to wear a celebratory jersey patch.
Aces forward Brianna Turner, the players association treasurer, balked at the idea that WNBA All-Stars should wear the “USA 250” patch on their jerseys that other professional sports leagues have adopted to celebrate America’s upcoming 250th birthday.
“Whoever called for the WNBA all star uniforms to have the USA 250 patch should have thought that through considering no WNBA players would have been free 250 years ago,” Turner wrote on “X.” The majority wouldn’t even have their freedom 100 years ago.”
Women didn’t have voting rights in America until 1920. Slavery was abolished in 1865, but it took until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to officially outlaw systematic discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, age and disability.
Sportico reported Thursday that the WNBA would have its All-Stars wear the patches during July 24-26 festivities in Chicago. But either the WNBA is reconsidering amidst backlash or the report was premature.
“Like other major sports leagues, we are exploring how best to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary,” the WNBA said in a statement to USA Today. “Nothing has been finalized at this time.”
The WNBA and the NWSL were not among the sports leagues listed as agreeing to wear the patch when the White House and Fanatics made its joint announcement in January.
About 64 percent of the WNBA in 2025 was made up of Black players, according to sociologists Earl Smith and Angie Hattery, who study racial and gender inequality.
“Yesss I know this was probably a financial decision at the end of the day but still,” Turner wrote with a raised eyebrow emoji and a loudly crying emoji. “We are some of the most elite female athletes 250 years ago we would have been breeders or in the fields working all day. Be so serious rn.”
The Knicks and Spurs are wearing the watch on their jerseys in the NBA Finals. The Seahawks and Patriots wore the patch on their Super Bowl jerseys.
