The WNBA may be rethinking its plan to add "USA 250" patches to jerseys after a star player called for a boycott. Las Vegas Aces forward Brianna Turner, who also serves as treasurer for the players association, took to social media to voice her opposition to the commemorative patches, which are intended to mark America's 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."
Turner didn't stop there. In a follow-up post, she drove home her point with raw emotion: "Yesss I know this was probably a financial decision at the end of the day but still. 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 pushback comes as the WNBA, along with other major sports leagues, explores ways to honor the nation's semiquincentennial. The NBA and other leagues have already agreed to wear the patches as part of a partnership between Fanatics and President Donald Trump. There were rumblings that the WNBA would debut the patches at the All-Star Game on July 25.
But the league is now pumping the brakes. "Like other major sports leagues, we are exploring how best to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary," the WNBA said in a statement to Sportico. "Nothing has been finalized at this time."
Turner's stance echoes broader conversations about patriotism and protest in sports. It's not the first time athletes have used their platforms to challenge how the country celebrates itself. The debate also highlights the unique position of the WNBA, a league known for its players' willingness to speak out on social issues. This isn't just a jersey patch—it's a symbol of a much deeper divide.
The controversy arrives in a season already full of drama, including calls for a boycott of the Indiana Fever over coaching decisions, and Shaquille O'Neal's heated defense of Angel Reese. The league has become a lightning rod for activism, and Turner's comments are the latest example.
For now, the WNBA is in a holding pattern. Whether the patches appear on All-Star jerseys or not, Turner has made it clear that any celebration of America's founding must reckon with the fact that many of its citizens—especially Black women—were not free 250 years ago. The league will have to decide if it's willing to wear that history on its sleeves.
