Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve wore a shirt reading "Trans Kids Belong" underneath her blazer while coaching against Sophie Cunningham's Indiana Fever at Target Center, in an apparent statement amid the ongoing debate over transgender participation in women's sports. The gesture came on a day already charged with tension, as WNBA fans and commentators have been debating comments from several coaches on protecting women's sports, and pro-trans demonstrators reportedly clashed verbally with Cunningham's supporters outside the venue before the game.

Reeve had spoken publicly ahead of the fixture, saying she approaches the issue "from a space of inclusion", that "we need to protect trans kids", and that "every kid has a right to sports". The episode is the latest flashpoint in a wider clash within the WNBA between advocates of trans inclusion and the "Save Women's Sports" movement, with Cunningham having become a prominent figure associated with the latter position.