WNBA President Lisa Borders said she was "stunned and disappointed" to learn that former WNBAer Candice Wiggins had called her experience in the league "toxic," according to the AP. Borders on Thursday in a statement said, "It concerns me if any of our players do not have a positive experience and I hope that anyone who feels uncomfortable would reach out to me or others in the league office." Wiggins earlier this week said that she was "treated poorly because she was straight" and was "bullied from the time she was drafted" into the league. Meanwhile, Sky C Imani Boyette, who was critical of Wiggins' comments in a blog post, in a text message wrote of Wiggins, "I don't discount her experience, I can't. I'm not her nor was I there, but her rhetoric was highly problematic and I felt the need to address it both as a fan of hers and a current WNBA player" (AP, 2/23). Pepperdine assistant women's basketball coach and former WNBAer DeLisha Milton-Jones said she was "concerned" by Wiggins' comments. Milton-Jones said they were "rather inflammatory and she put all of us in a box and created a stereotype that is very unpleasant in the eyes of players that are still playing and former players that have moved on." She said she wants Wiggins to "reach out to the players' union" or Borders to "have a mature conversation about this because obviously, what happened to her was real for her. It contradicts many of the thousands of players that have gone through the WNBA and their experiences." Meanwhile, Milton-Jones said Wiggins' comments have not damaged the league because "the legs that the WNBA stands on for the past 20 years has been one of inclusion and has been one of empowerment. This one instance will not spoil all the wonderful things that the league has done for women" ("OTL," ESPN, 2/23).
