The argument that French transgender basketball player Julie Tetart would have no competitive advantage in the WNBA does not hold up, according to two former teammates.

Sara Crudo and Martina Bestagno described Tetart’s physical power as unlike anything they had previously encountered in women’s basketball.

During an interview with the French podcast “Club Five,” Crudo and Bestagno discussed playing alongside Tetart during the 2025 to 2026 season.

They also considered whether the Monaco player could compete in the WNBA after averaging a historic 20 points and 20 rebounds per game last season.

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Tetart, who is listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 200 pounds, is the leading player in the French second division basketball league.

Tetart has expressed openness to a WNBA opportunity while acknowledging the level of talent already in the league.

“If they contact me, I won't say no. But you have to be realistic: I'm old, and there are far better players than me!” Tetart told OutKick in early August as the WNBA presented itself as inclusive and welcoming to transgender basketball players.

Bestagno brought significant experience to her assessment. She played against Brittney Griner over multiple seasons in EuroLeague competition and said Tetart’s particular combination of strength and size stood apart from other imposing players she had faced.

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“I played against really big players such as Brittney Griner (6'9", 219 pounds), Isabelle Yacoubou (6'3", 229 pounds), and they're big. They're probably bigger,” Bestagno explained.

However, Bestagno said size alone did not capture the difference. “It's not just the size, it's the combination of size and strength that it's something that I never went against it before. I was blown away by the difference talking about strength. The difference is huge.”

That assessment prompted a direct question from the “Club Five” host about whether Tetart would dominate the American league. Despite describing Tetart as exceptionally strong, Bestagno rejected the idea that physical power would automatically lead to WNBA dominance.

“No, not at all. Not at all,” Bestagno answered. “Physically, [Tetart] is probably the strongest that I ever faced. With that being said, basketball is not athletics.

It's not because you're the strongest automatically you are the best player.”

The answer left a central question unresolved. Tetart averaged 20 points and 20 rebounds while displaying strength that Bestagno said exceeded anything she had faced, including during competition against Griner, yet the podcast did not establish whether Tetart merited a WNBA tryout.

The host also did not follow up by asking the former teammates the simplest version of the issue: Can Tetart play in the WNBA? Therefore, their comments established a sharp distinction between Tetart’s physical power and their assessment of Tetart as an overall basketball player.

Tetart will return to Monaco when the team’s season begins in September after being relegated to the French second division. Meanwhile, the debate over Tetart’s presence in women’s basketball remains contentious among those who have shared the court with the player.

Crudo delivered the strongest objection during the interview. “Is it unfair to let [Tetart] play? Yeah, absolutely yes.

This is too much, and I'm sorry to say this, but I don't understand why no one says it,” she added.

Crudo said women spend years pursuing the goal of reaching the top level of basketball and do not arrive in the first league by chance.

She argued that players work throughout their lives for those opportunities and that Tetart entered the situation at 30 years old after already going through puberty.

From Crudo’s perspective, the issue is not limited to Tetart’s statistics or whether Tetart could secure a WNBA roster spot. She said the larger concern is that Tetart is taking a place that otherwise would belong to another woman.

The controversy has unfolded while the WNBA has said it is inclusive and welcoming toward transgender players.

Former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White were also declared ineligible for the WNBA draft, adding another point of conflict to the wider discussion.

NBA legend Charles Barkley has separately criticized the inclusion of transgender athletes in the WNBA and asserted that the league is for women only.

The comments from Tetart’s former teammates now intensify that dispute by focusing directly on the physical difference they experienced on the court.