WNBA players ready to help Kamala Harris' presidential bid

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PARIS — One day after NBA star Steph Curry pledged to do everything he could to help Vice President Kamala Harris become the next president of the United States, his WNBA counterparts said they’re excited to get to work, too. 

Harris, a Bay Area native and the former Attorney General of California, is the presumptive Democratic nominee for president; she’s expected to officially become the party’s nominee when the Democratic National Convention starts on Aug. 19.

The WNBA has a long history of activism, which came to a head in 2020 when players helped flip the U.S. Senate blue by unseating former Atlanta Dream owner Kelly Loeffler. After Loeffler criticized the Black Lives Matter movement, players organized and threw their support behind Rev. Raphael Warnock, helping him to victory. They plan to do the same to help Harris become the first female president of the United States. 

“She’s my sorority sister, so I’m going to always stand behind her in that sense,” said forward A’ja Wilson, who like Harris is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha. “This is a big, big, big election.” 

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Breanna Stewart is a member of the league’s Social Justice Council, and said players across the league — some playing at the Paris Olympics this month and some not — have been in touch via group text about plans. She stressed that they are committed to “finding a way to make sure we can back Kamala as much as we can.” 

Stewart mentioned that two of the biggest issues players have fought to bring awareness to, voting rights and reproductive rights, are expected to be the foundation of Harris’ campaign, so it would only make sense to support her.

During the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup each summer, teams pick one local charity for which to raise money. This season, four of the league’s 12 teams chose charities explicitly dedicated to reproductive or voting rights.  

“The things she stands for, we also stand for,” Stewart said. “So we’re making sure that we can stay united and continue to push the message of registering to vote, knowing where to vote and all the resources behind it.” 

Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell

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