Key Takeaways
- Former WNBA star Chantelle Anderson told Michael Porter Jr.’s Curious Mike podcast she stopped dating women after recommitting to Christianity and has remained abstinent for 13 years.
- Anderson discussed career-disrupting injuries, depression and suicidal thoughts, saying her lowest moments pushed her to reconsider her faith.
- Now an ordained minister, the former No. 2 draft pick distinguished attraction from behavior and described changing her relationships and substance use as a gradual process: “I tried to quit cold turkey. Didn’t happen.”
Former WNBA star Chantelle Anderson spent nearly a decade dating women, including a player on a rival team. Now, the former No. 2 overall draft pick says she's been abstinent for 13 years after deciding to dedicate her life to Jesus Christ—and she opened up to Michael Porter Jr. about what it took to get there.
During an appearance on the Brooklyn Nets forward's Curious Mike podcast, Anderson discussed her relationships with women, her struggles with depression, and the religious convictions that ultimately led her to become an ordained minister. But walking away from her former lifestyle wasn't as simple as deciding and never looking back.
"I tried to quit cold turkey. Didn't happen," Anderson admitted.
Anderson, an All-American at Vanderbilt who went second overall in the 2003 WNBA Draft, said she dated women for almost 10 years, although she also had relationships with men. She recalled falling for her first girlfriend through basketball and later dating another woman who played for an opposing WNBA team.
The relationship eventually became an open secret in the locker room, prompting Anderson and another player to address their teammates.
"Do I date men? Yeah. Do I date women? Yeah, I think you all know who my girlfriend is," Anderson recalled telling the team.
Anderson said she wasn't particularly worried about anyone's approval. In fact, when Porter jokingly asked whether she went easy on her girlfriend during games, she shut down the suggestion.
"Absolutely not," she said, explaining that their matchups were actually more aggressive.
Behind the scenes, however, Anderson was dealing with far more serious problems. Her professional career was repeatedly interrupted by devastating injuries, including a broken kneecap, a torn Achilles and a torn ACL. She also described struggling with depression and reaching a point where she contemplated suicide while holding a gun at a friend's home.
The former Sacramento Monarchs and San Antonio Silver Stars player said her lowest moments eventually pushed her to reconsider her relationship with Christianity.
After reconnecting with her faith, Anderson began questioning whether her romantic relationships aligned with her interpretation of the Bible. She acknowledged that changing her behavior took time and involved more than her sexuality.
"Now, it wasn't just dating women. Like, I was getting drunk. I was getting high. I was clubbing," she explained. "I was doing a lot."
Porter also questioned Anderson about homosexuality and Christianity, including whether someone can experience same-sex attraction and still follow Jesus.
Anderson argued that attraction and behavior are different, emphasizing that her beliefs apply to her own decisions and religious commitments.
"It's not about the homosexuality," she said. "It's not about who you're dating or who you're sleeping with or are you following Jesus?"
