Vice President JD Vance sharply called out WNBA players in the league finals over skipping the national anthem during an interview Wednesday, calling them "disgraceful."

Players from both the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries have left the court during the national anthem before the first two games of the WNBA Finals, despite a rule in the league’s own rulebook specifically calling for players to stand and line up during the performance.

"I think it's disgraceful," Vance told host Raymond Arroyo on "Arroyo Grande." "I think that you should not express some criticism of a public policy of a given politician by disrespecting the country writ large. I mean, those women who play for the WNBA, think of the public safety, think of the incredible wealth and privilege, the amazing jobs that they have. They have a lot to be grateful to the United States for, and I think that if they had a bit more of a spirit of gratitude, they'd be happier people, and they wouldn't offend so many people as well."

Vance also appeared to cite Saint Augustine’s idea of Ordo Amoris, a concept from Catholic thought that Vance cited in 2025 to defend administration deportation policies.

NBA STAYS SILENT ON WNBA FINALS TEAMS SKIPPING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM BEFORE GAMES 1 AND 2

"I've gotten some trouble talking about this, but I'll just talk about it again," Vance said. "One of the ways I understand the Catholic understanding is that we have various orders of duty, and you know, our closest and most immediate duty, of course, is to our family and to the people in our immediate circle. But we, of course, owe duties to the entire world. We owe duties to the stranger. But I also think a good and coherent understanding of the Christian self is that you are part of a national community."

He added, "Whether you were born in the United States or whether you came here by choice, this is your country. And I think that we're all meant to love it. We're all meant to try to make it the best version of itself. But fundamentally, I think, without love of country, I think that you're going to be a disordered human being."

Fox News Digital spoke to veteran GOP strategist Mary Marslender, who argued, like Vance, that the basketball players lack perspective on how great it is to live in the United States.

OUTKICK READERS BLAST WNBA PLAYERS FOR HIDING DURING FINALS NATIONAL ANTHEM

"The WNBA players are treating a country that has given them extraordinary privileges as if it were an oppressor, while ignoring that American women enjoy rights and opportunities that remain rare or nonexistent for most women elsewhere," she said. "They seem to forget that a league like the WNBA exists and its players can publicly dissent without fear of state reprisal solely because of these rights and opportunities. If these activists hate this country that much, they are free to leave it. The rest of us are done with this disrespect."

Fox News Digital reached out to the WNBA, as well as the Women's National Basketball Players Association, and did not receive an immediate reply.

OutKick's Dan Zaksheske contributed to this report.

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The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries left the court for the national anthem before the first two games of the WNBA Finals. Now Riley Gaines is arguing that those decisions should carry consequences when athletes seek to represent the United States internationally.

Gaines initially weighed in while sharing OutKick’s video of the Game 2 anthem absence.

"It’s my personal opinion that if you kneel for the flag and what it represents, you shouldn’t be able to represent the USA at the Olympics," Gaines wrote on X.

DREAM, VALKYRIES SKIP NATIONAL ANTHEM IN WNBA FINALS GAME 2 DESPITE RULEBOOK REQUIREMENT

In a statement to OutKick, Gaines expanded her argument to players who leave the court to avoid the anthem.

"The American flag and our national anthem do not represent whichever political party or administration happens to be in power. They represent the American people, our shared identity, the freedoms we enjoy, and the generations of men and women who fought, sacrificed and died to preserve those freedoms," Gaines said.

"Players who leave the court specifically to avoid the national anthem are making a deliberate statement. They are free to do so, of course. Free speech includes the freedom to withhold respect."

"But I’m of the mind that choice has consequences when the same athletes later seek the honor of representing the United States on the international stage."

Neither Finals team nor the WNBA has answered OutKick’s questions about the anthem absences. Nor has the NBA, whose commissioner, Adam Silver, is helping lead the search for the WNBA’s next commissioner.

NBA STAYS SILENT ON WNBA FINALS TEAMS SKIPPING NATIONAL ANTHEM IN GAMES 1 AND 2

Gaines said patriotism does not require blind allegiance to a political party or pretending America is without flaws. But she argued that athletes seeking to represent the country should be judged on how they treat its anthem.

"If an athlete treats standing for the anthem as optional or objectionable during the WNBA season, it is reasonable to question whether they are prepared to accept the full weight of representing the country when the spotlight is global," she said.

Former Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones called Tuesday for players from both teams to lose their eligibility to represent the United States in Olympic basketball.

Jones wrote that those players "should be ineligible to play on the U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball Team."

Atlanta’s Team USA connection includes Angel Reese and Rhyne Howard

Reese and Howard were both named to Team USA’s 2026 Women’s World Cup roster. The Dream announced their selections in August, noting that they became the first two players in franchise history selected together for the United States at a five-on-five Women’s World Cup or Olympics.

Golden State had no players on that U.S. World Cup roster, but Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase served as a U.S. assistant coach. Golden State star Gabby Williams represents France.

Both Reese and Howard stood for the national anthem while representing the United States at September’s FIBA Women’s World Cup.

AMERICA'S WOMEN'S BASKETBALL EPIC REACHES CLIMAX WITH NATIONAL UNITY ON THE LINE IN FIBA WORLD CUP FINAL

But representing the United States internationally comes with an extra responsibility to show respect for the country at home.

And that responsibility doesn't disappear when the USA jersey comes off and the WNBA jersey goes on. Staying off the court while the anthem plays during the WNBA Finals falls short of the standard we should expect from athletes entrusted with representing this country.

Sage Steele warns anthem absences could drive fans away

Former ESPN anchor Sage Steele also criticized the league in a social media video.

Steele accused the WNBA’s players, coaches and leadership of disrespecting the country by leaving the court for the anthem.

"So are they free to express themselves the way they want? Absolutely. But there’s a cost to it," Steele said.

"And I just hope they realize that this constant lack of respect is going to turn fans away forever. They’re not going to come back, and it’s going to be their own fault," Steele added.

Players are free to express themselves, but as Steele noted, that freedom can come with a price. We're not calling for the players to be jailed.

The First Amendment limits the government’s power to restrict speech, but it doesn’t require fans to support those choices or critics to stay quiet. We have the right to express our disapproval, too.

WNBA rulebook calls for an anthem lineup

Both Finals teams were off the floor during the anthem before Saturday’s opener and Monday’s Game 2 at Chase Center. In both games, the players returned within seconds of the performance ending.

The WNBA’s 2026 official rulebook includes a provision calling for players, coaches and trainers to stand and line up in a dignified posture along the sidelines or foul line during the national anthem.

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OutKick contacted the WNBA and both teams after Game 1, followed up Sunday and again Tuesday. The inquiries sought explanations for the absences, clarification of the league’s anthem requirements and the teams’ plans for Game 3 on Wednesday night in Atlanta.

Those questions remain unanswered.

For Gaines, the responsibility goes beyond a WNBA pregame routine.

"Wearing the USA jersey is not a private entitlement that comes with athletic success. It is a public responsibility," she said.

Washington, 21 oct (Prensa Latina) Golden State Valkyries y Atlanta Dream buscarán hoy romper el equilibrio de la final del baloncesto femenino estadounidense (WNBA), en una batalla que promete encender la cruzada por la supremacía.

The post WNBA: Valkyries y Dream, tercer asalto hacia una corona inédita first appeared on Noticias Prensa Latina.

The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries left the court for the national anthem before the first two games of the WNBA Finals, despite a provision in the league’s own rulebook calling for players to stand and line up during the performance.

Now the NBA has joined the WNBA and both teams in leaving OutKick’s questions about those absences unanswered.

DREAM, VALKYRIES SKIP NATIONAL ANTHEM IN WNBA FINALS GAME 2 DESPITE RULEBOOK REQUIREMENT

OutKick contacted NBA Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer Mike Bass on Tuesday.

The inquiry asked about the NBA’s role in the matter, possible discipline and whether the teams would be instructed to be present for the anthem before Wednesday’s Game 3.

The NBA did not respond by the deadline. The WNBA and both teams also have not answered OutKick’s repeated inquiries.

NBA asked about its role in WNBA anthem enforcement

The WNBA’s 2026 official rulebook calls for players, coaches and trainers to stand and line up along the sidelines or foul line during the national anthem.

OutKick asked Bass whether the NBA has a role in overseeing or enforcing that provision, or whether enforcement is solely the WNBA’s responsibility.

We also asked whether NBA Commissioner Adam Silver or anyone at the NBA league office had discussed the absences with WNBA leadership and, if so, what guidance had been provided.

WNBA SILENT AS FINALS TEAMS SKIP NATIONAL ANTHEM DESPITE RULE REQUIRING PLAYERS TO STAND IN LINE

Additional questions covered whether either team had received an exemption, whether discipline was planned or under consideration, and whether the teams would be instructed to be on the court for Game 3.

The NBA was given until the end of Tuesday to respond.

Bass’s responsibilities span both leagues. His 2026 Sports PR Summit biography says he oversees public relations, including basketball and business communications, for the NBA and WNBA, among other leagues.

The NBA’s involvement in the WNBA dates to its creation: the NBA Board of Governors approved the women’s league in 1996.

Bass previously issued an NBA statement on anthem policy

In February 2021, Bass issued an official NBA statement reiterating the league’s requirement that teams play the national anthem.

The statement said "all teams will play the national anthem in keeping with longstanding league policy."

That statement addressed playing the anthem. OutKick’s current questions concern whether WNBA teams must be on the court during the performance.

Before Saturday’s WNBA Finals opener and Monday’s Game 2, both teams left the floor ahead of the anthem and returned within seconds of the performance ending.

OutKick contacted the WNBA, Dream and Valkyries after Game 1 and followed up with all three Sunday, asking about the absences, the league’s anthem requirements and plans for Game 2.

After both teams were absent again Monday, OutKick followed up with all three Tuesday, seeking explanations and asking about plans for Game 3.

OutKick attended five pregame and postgame press conferences Saturday, plus both coaches’ pregame and postgame press conferences Monday. OutKick was not called on to ask a question at any of the nine sessions.

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The WNBA has a written provision calling for players to be on the floor for the anthem, but its Finals teams have twice been absent.

Asked about it, the NBA has been just as quiet as the WNBA.

Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom says he is in contact with the FBI after receiving death threats over his plans to attend Game 3 of the WNBA Finals in Atlanta, including messages warning that he would be "the next Charlie Kirk."

Freedom told OutKick that he intends to attend Wednesday’s game between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries despite the threats, and said he was arranging security for his return to a WNBA arena following his ejection from a Chicago Sky game in August.

"So we are in touch with FBI. We have our own security," Freedom said, adding that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s office has already provided him security as well.

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"We have a conversation with the governor and he's providing us security as well. But we are in touch with FBI as well. There's going to be a lot of FBI officers around the game, so, and they will be protecting us."

A spokesperson from Kemp's office told OutKick, "Our office connected their team with the appropriate law enforcement resources."

Freedom described receiving "thousands of death threats" after announcing that he would attend the game. The claimed number of threats and the federal and state security arrangements he described have not been independently confirmed.

Asked about the worst threat he had received, Freedom described a message warning that he would be "the next Charlie Kirk."

"Look, I'm just simply saying that I'm going to be attending the game," he said. "My DMs are full of pictures and videos of the moment that Charlie Kirk got shot, and they're saying that you're going to be next very soon," Freedom continued. "It's a shame."

Freedom also shared a video compilation on social media Tuesday presenting messages as threats against him ahead of his trip to Atlanta.

ANGEL REESE DOMINATES GAME 2 AS ATLANTA DREAM EVEN WNBA FINALS AGAINST GOLDEN STATE VALKYRIES

Game 3 is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET Wednesday at State Farm Arena. The best-of-seven series is tied 1-1 after Atlanta’s 79-65 victory in Game 2 on Monday.

Freedom’s planned appearance comes amid his dispute with the WNBA over eligibility for the league. He and fellow former NBA player Royce White announced plans to enter the 2027 draft while saying they identify as women.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told Republican lawmakers in an Oct. 16 letter that neither is eligible, writing that "only women are eligible to play in the WNBA and the individuals you cite in your letter are both men."

Freedom has said he wants the league to adopt an explicit eligibility restriction based on biological sex. He has pointed to Valkyries player Gabby Williams’ support for transgender participation as the inspiration for his effort to enter the league.

"I'm going there to enjoy the game," Freedom said of his plans for Wednesday. "I'm going there to support all these hardworking women, especially Gabby Williams and Angel Reese."

His last visit to a WNBA game ended with his removal from an Aug. 23 contest between the Sky and Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena following a confrontation with Chicago guard Natasha Cloud.

The Sky subsequently banned Freedom from their home games. He later filed a lawsuit alleging that his First Amendment rights had been violated. Sky owner Michael Alter disputed his account and said security removed him because of his conduct rather than his speech.

Freedom maintained in the interview that he had done nothing wrong during the Chicago incident. Asked how he would respond if another player confronted him in Atlanta, he said he did not intend to escalate an encounter.

GOP CONGRESSMAN PRESSES WNBA TO DEFINE ‘WOMEN’ AFTER ENES KANTER FREEDOM, ROYCE WHITE RULED INELIGIBLE

"I'm going there to watch the game and I'm going there to support them, actually. So if a player gets in my face, I'm not planning to do anything," he said. "I did not, and I'm not going to cross the baseline or the sideline," he added.

Freedom also said Reese had blocked him on X, despite what he described as having no previous interaction with her.

"I never had a conversation. I never even seen her in my life before," he said. "Never even talked to her, never even seen her."

He nevertheless picked Atlanta to win the game and the series.

"I think it's going to be Atlanta," he said. "I think they're playing really good basketball."

Freedom teased a shirt he plans to wear to the game but did not reveal its wording during the interview. At the Chicago game, he wore a shirt bearing a definition of "woman" as an "adult human female." He said he wanted his presence in Atlanta to be understood as support for women’s sports.

"We are not here to mock or make fun of anyone or any personal decision," he said.

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"Many people think that I'm going there to troll. No, I'm going there to support women, protect women, and make sure that I enjoy the game."

OutKick reached out to the FBI, the Georgia Department of Public Safety, the WNBA, the Atlanta Dream, and representatives for State Farm Arena and the Atlanta Hawks for comment on Freedom’s reported death threats, planned attendance and claims about security arrangements.

Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Commissioner Cathy Engelbert revealed in a letter that “only women are eligible” to compete in the WNBA. In a letter addressed to Reps. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Erin Houchin (R-IN), and Zach Nunn

The post WNBA Responds to Congress on How It Defines a Woman appeared first on Breitbart.

Former NBA player Royce White says he plans to explore legal avenues against the WNBA after Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told Congress that he and Enes Kanter Freedom are ineligible to play because they are men.

White told OutKick that Engelbert’s response does not resolve his challenge to the league’s eligibility standards, calling on the WNBA to explain how it defines men and women.

"We plan to explore every legal avenue possible to hold the WNBA and NBA community to their stated standards and values," White said.

FORMER NBA PLAYER ROYCE WHITE SAYS HE IS DECLARING FOR NEXT WNBA DRAFT AFTER ENES KANTER ANNOUNCEMENT

Asked whether Engelbert’s letter had officially triggered a previously discussed discrimination lawsuit, White said he could not discuss particulars. He did not announce a filing or provide a timetable for taking legal action.

The dispute centers on White’s and Freedom’s efforts to enter the 2027 WNBA draft after declaring that they identify as women. During the interview, White agreed when asked whether his declaration was "for basketball purposes."

In an Oct. 16 letter responding to Republican lawmakers, Engelbert stated the league’s position directly.

"With respect to your questions regarding eligibility, only women are eligible to play in the WNBA and the individuals you cite in your letter are both men," Engelbert wrote.

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The response followed a Sept. 17 inquiry from Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., and four Republican colleagues asking how the WNBA defines "women" under its collective bargaining agreement and why White and Freedom had been deemed ineligible. The lawmakers requested answers by Oct. 16.

The agreement states that "only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA," but does not specify language concerning gender identity or sex assigned at birth, Front Office Sports reported in August.

Engelbert’s response did not supply a definition of "women" or explain the criteria used to classify White and Freedom as men.

White said that distinction remains central to his challenge.

"No, we’re not letting them off that easy," he said when asked whether Engelbert’s statement represented a step in the right direction.

"She has to define, and the WNBA has to define, what a man and a woman is and why."

White also called for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to address the dispute.

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"I’d like Adam Silver and the NBA to weigh in," he said.

The league had already rejected the two former NBA players’ eligibility through statements attributed to league sources in August.

ROYCE WHITE SHOWS UP TO INDIANA FEVER GAME IN BLONDE WIG AMID WNBA DRAFT PURSUIT

White described himself as a longtime fan of women’s basketball, saying he grew up watching older female relatives play sports and learned from local girls’ basketball players.

"I’m a fan of the WNBA. I think the women have come a long way," White said. "I’d love to see it not as politicized as it is, because I think it takes away from the beauty of the game."

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White added that he has been watching the WNBA Finals and is considering attending games, although he declined to identify which ones, citing security concerns.

"I have my eyes on a few games for sure, and I’ve been watching," he said, describing himself as "scoping the competition."