Julie Tétart, a 27‑year‑old French basketball player, finished the 2025‑26 Ligue 2 Féminine season as the league’s top scorer and rebounder, averaging 21 points and 20 rebounds per game.
Her statistical dominance earned her three of the league’s major awards — Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Domestic Player of the Year — even though she was bypassed for the traditional MVP honor amid allegations of collusion by league officials who omitted teammate Aurore Pautou from the postseason list despite a solid 14.4‑point, 7.7‑rebound average.
The Policy Debate Expands
Sophie Cunningham, a former WNBA guard, has publicly championed the protection of women’s sports from biological males, a stance that has drawn both applause and criticism within the basketball community.
Audrey Sauret, another former WNBA player, warned that allowing trans athletes to compete in women’s categories could undermine competitive fairness and discourage young athletes from pursuing the sport.
Tétart has repeatedly expressed that her childhood dream of playing in the WNBA remains unfulfilled, citing current policy restrictions that prevent her from joining the league despite her elite performance.
While the WNBA markets itself as an inclusive organization, the French star’s case illustrates how policy barriers can turn inclusion into exclusion, a tension that resonates with trans advocacy groups such as TRANSpire, which have criticized the league’s award omissions.