Julie Tetart's Power Would Dominate WNBA Despite Her Doubts

Two former teammates are speaking out with blunt honesty about Julie Tétart, the French trans basketball star who averaged a historic 20 points and 20 rebounds last season. They say her raw physical power feels like "a train coming into you," a description that suggests she would hold a massive competitive edge in the WNBA if given a chance.

Sara Crudo and Martina Bestagno recently discussed their time playing alongside Tétart during the 2025-26 season on the French podcast, Club Five. The conversation turned to whether this phenom could succeed in America after her dominant European campaign. When asked directly by OutKick in early August if she would join the league now that the WNBA claims to be inclusive and welcoming of trans athletes, Tétart gave a qualified answer. "If they contact me, I won't say no," she told reporters. "But you have to be realistic: I'm old, and there are far better players than me!"

The reality on the court tells a different story. Bestagno, a veteran power forward who has faced giants like Brittney Griner over multiple seasons in EuroLeague play, says Tétart's strength is unlike anything she has seen before. She noted that while players like Griner (6'9", 219 pounds) and Isabelle Yacoubou (6'3", 229 pounds) are big, the combination of size and force generated by Tétart is something entirely new. "It's not just the size," Bestagno explained. "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."

Tétart stands 6'3" and weighs 200 pounds. Does that translate to dominance in the WNBA? When Club Five hosts asked Crudo and Bestagno if Tétart would rule the American league, Bestagno shook her head immediately. "No, not at all," she said flatly. She argued that while Tétart is probably the strongest player she has ever faced physically, basketball is not just athletics. Being the strongest does not automatically make you the best player.

So why hasn't the so-called inclusive league called? It makes no sense to keep a woman out of competition when someone possesses greater physical attributes than current roster stars. At the very least, Tétart deserves a tryout. We don't know exactly what her former teammates think because the podcast host did not follow up with that specific question. The core issue remains simple: Can she play in the WNBA?

Tétart has been relegated to the French second division and will return to her team in Monaco when their season kicks off in September. Crudo, however, is fed up. "Is it unfair to let [Tétart] play?" she asked during the interview. "Yeah, absolutely yes. This is too much, and I'm sorry to say this, but I don't understand why no one says it."

Crudo painted a picture of her own journey to reach the top level, starting when she was just 13 years old. "You fight for it," she said. "You don't arrive there in first league by chance, because you work your ass off." She contrasted that lifelong struggle with Tétart's arrival at age 30 after puberty. "And then maybe there is a situation like someone like Julie... She's taking a spot [from] another woman.