A WNBA source said the league is "not going to give oxygen to efforts designed to mock the league or use this topic to demean or marginalize others."
Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, who have both declared their intentions to join the WNBA draft and have stated that they identify as transgender, are not eligible to play in the women’s basketball league. This comes amid concerns raised by women’s sports advocates and athletes about trans-identified men playing against women.
A league source told Front Office Sports that the two former NBA players’ recent declarations are “simply publicity stunts,” and that the league is “not going to give oxygen to efforts designed to mock the league or use this topic to demean or marginalize others.”
Under the WNBA’s latest collective bargaining agreement, it states that “Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” The agreement does not include language on gender identity or sex. The WNBA had an emergency task force meeting on the matter, but failed to come out of the meeting with a definition of “women.”
In July, Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham declared her support for protecting women’s sports from trans athletes, sparking weeks of discussions and headlines on the matter. Freedom declared in early August that he was an eligible prospect for the league, saying, “after careful consideration and reviewing the current eligibility guidelines, I am officially declaring myself a WNBA prospect. If simply declaring who you are is all that's required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA.”
He also said he had recruited at least eight other male professional basketball players to declare for the WNBA draft, saying, “They have all said that if the WNBA doesn’t change the rules, they’re ready to join the movement and are considering coming out as women and putting their names in the 2027 WNBA Draft.”
White officially declared for the WNBA draft last week, with former Congressman Matt Gaetz serving as White’s legal counsel and signing off on the declaration. The declaration read in part, “As of the signing of the attached declaration, Ms. White identifies as a transgender woman. Consistent with Article XIII, Section 1(a) of the 2026–2033 Collective Bargaining Agreement between the WNBA and the WNBPA, Ms. White affirms her eligibility to be considered for selection on that basis.”
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