Amid backlash, Wiggins stands by controversial WNBA comments

Candice Wiggins refused to back down Tuesday after stirring a national controversy following her assertions that she was mistreated by gay players in the WNBA because she is heterosexual.

Saying her comments “freed my spirit,” Wiggins told the San Diego Union-Tribune that she received positive reaction from those close to her, as well as private thanks from other WNBA players who Wiggins said experienced what she did.

“There’s nothing that I would take back. I’m not really in a position of taking things back right now,” Wiggins, 30, said. “I’m going forward.

“I know it sounds heartless, but I don’t care. I understand what my purpose and the intent of my words are, and I’m responsible for my words. I’m not responsible for how people perceived them.

“I’m not sorry for saying what needs to be said,” Wiggins said. “And I’m not patting myself on the back. It wasn’t brave, but it would have been cowardly for me not to do it.”

In an interview with the Union-Tribune published Monday, Wiggins said she experienced a “toxic” and “very, very harmful” culture during her eight seasons in the WNBA, where she asserts other people were driven by jealousy and resentment to bully her.

“Me being heterosexual and straight, and being vocal in my identity as a straight woman was huge,” Wiggins told the Union-Tribune. “I would say 98 percent of the women in the WNBA are gay women. It was a conformist type of place. There was a whole different set of rules they (the other players) could apply.”

There is no data on the number of gay women in the WNBA, and some commentaries about the story questioned Wiggins’ “98 percent” number. She said Tuesday that she used that figure more to be illustrative than factual.

“It was my way to illustrate the isolation that I felt personally,” Wiggins said. “I felt like the 2 percent versus the 98 percent. It felt that way to me. And it’s not just the players. It was the coaches. It was the leaders.”

The WNBA has declined to respond to Wiggins’ comments.

Nneka Ogwumike, president of the WNBA Players Association, said in a statement: “Whether one agrees or disagrees with the comments made recently by a former player, or whether one has seen or experienced anything like what she has described, anything that impacts an inclusive culture should be taken seriously.”

Current WNBA players took to social media to express themselves about Wiggins’ opinions.

Imani Boyette, a WNBA Chicago Sky player and married daughter of former USC and WNBA player Pam McGee, wrote an 842-word open letter to Wiggins on her website.

“I was sad because that was your reality,” Boyette wrote. “I’m sorry you were bullied and felt that way during your career. Bullying is serious and no one deserves it. I hope you know that says more about the people who chose to mistreat you than you yourself.”

Boyette continued, “Your article hurt me Candice, both as a fellow WNBA player and as a little girl who looked up to you. You chose to typecast an entire league instead of speaking your peace, telling your truth. You chose to put all of us down, fans included. How can you turn your back on the entity that gave you your career, your upcoming book, and your worldwide acclaim? I think that’s selfish.”

Boyette concluded, “I have never experienced the bullying you spoke about, and I hope no one else ever does. Thank you for telling your truth.”

In a blog, San Antonio forward Monique Currie wrote that in her 11 seasons in the WNBA she has never experienced or witnessed the bullying that Wiggins described.

“Although this interview caused quite a stir, maybe, just maybe, these experiences were real,” Currie wrote.

Currie said of the “pink elephant in the room” in regards to Wiggins’ “98 percent” comment: “It’s fair to say that’s a stretch, however, it’s fair to say that during a span of eight years in the WNBA there were possibly more gay players than non-gay players. Does this matter in the grand scheme of things? No. But it does matter to someone who’s not in the majority. Perception is real.”

Currie also said, “Wiggins needs to check her privilege at the door, and not group her very unfortunate personal experiences on an entire group of women.”

Wiggins was a four-time All-American at Stanford and set school and Pac-10 scoring records there. She was drafted No. 3 overall in the WNBA in 2008 and spent most of her career as a backup. She won a championship with the Minnesota Lynx in 2011 and retired before the 2016 season.

On Tuesday evening, Wiggins was among the 2017 class that was inducted into the Breitbard Hall of Fame at the San Diego Hall of Champions.

In addition to her contentions of mistreatment, Wiggins ripped the 20-year-old WNBA as a “survival league” that “nobody cares about.” Her critics Tuesday claimed she was hurting the very entity that supported her career.

“I don’t think the league is any more damaged than it already was,” Wiggins said.

Wiggins is currently writing a book based on what she documented in journals during her WNBA career. She said her current comments are merely the “first layer” of what she has to say.

tod.leonard@sduniontribune.com; Twitter: @sdutleonard