A high school volleyball match changed McNabb's life.Years later, she sees Cunningham taking on a fight that has followed her all the way to Capitol Hill.WATCH PAYTON MCNABB'S FULL INTERVIEW WITH OUTKICK:After suffering a traumatic brain injury and partial paralysis on her right side from a ball spiked by a biological male opponent, McNabb took her fight from a North Carolina volleyball court to Washington, where she has testified before lawmakers in defense of women's sports and Title IX.Payton McNabb, a former high school athlete, is recognized by President Donald Trump during an address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S.
Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2025.(AFP via Getty Images)JD VANCE PRAISES SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM FOR 'SAVE WOMEN'S SPORTS' ACTIVISMNow 21, McNabb sees that same battle reaching the WNBA and believes the league's response is exposing a glaring double standard.Speaking exclusively with OutKick, McNabb applauded Cunningham for taking a stand, ripped Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve over her support for transgender inclusion and explained why Caitlin Clark's voice could carry enormous weight with the next generation of female athletes."I started speaking out when I was 18," McNabb told OutKick.
"I'm 21 now, but within the last few years, why have I had to go in front of Congress and explain that there's a biological difference between a man and a woman? It makes no sense, and it sounds like such a dumb argument."Payton McNabb, a former North Carolina high school volleyball player injured by a transgender opponent, speaks during a hearing on "Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" held by the Department of Government Efficiency Subcommittee at the U.S.Capitol on May 7, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
(Getty Images)Cunningham's willingness to speak out has particularly impressed McNabb, especially as the Fever guard's profile has soared."What we've seen through Sophie Cunningham has been so courageous," McNabb said."I just ap...