*The WNBA is preparing to discuss transgender athlete eligibility after former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White announced plans to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft.
Freedom and White made their announcements Friday as scrutiny grows around language in the league’s collective bargaining agreement. The CBA states that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA,” but does not further define eligibility by gender identity or sex assigned at birth.
Freedom said he reviewed the league’s rules before making his announcement.
“If simply declaring who you are is all that’s required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA,” Freedom said.
Scroll to continue reading
White followed with his own declaration hours later.
“I’m transgender. I’m a woman… I identify as sometimes identifying as a woman for purposes of… professional basketball,” White told Fox News.
Neither announcement means the WNBA has determined that Freedom or White is eligible for the draft.
Their actions have drawn sharply different reactions. Critics accuse the former players of mocking transgender women. Supporters argue they are using satire to expose what they see as flaws surrounding self-identification and eligibility in women’s sports.
Fox Sports commentator Chris Broussard warned that Freedom’s move could encourage other male basketball players to test the WNBA’s eligibility rules, particularly given the pay disparity between the leagues.
“The WNBA, just as it’s beginning to pop, will soon be the G-League unless these women start using common sense,” Broussard wrote on X. “Do what’s right & protect girls & women in sports!”
The controversy comes as the WNBA prepares to address the broader issue of “What Is A Woman” during a previously scheduled meeting involving team presidents and general managers. According to the New York Post, commissioner Cathy Engelbert called the subject “complex and nuanced” and said discussions with league officials and the Players Association would continue.
The WNBPA has emphasized both protecting women’s sports and opposing hostility toward transgender people.
“We embrace justice equity, diversity, and inclusion,” the union said. “Hate, abuse, and demonization of any person or group of people, including transgender people, only fuel fear, division, and harm.”
Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve has taken a supportive position on transgender participation.
“We need to protect trans kids,” Reeve said Aug. 1. “To me, it’s a human rights issue. Every kid has a right to sports.”
The league has not announced any change to its eligibility rules. In the meantime, NBA player Kyle Kuzma joined the debate on X.
“Thirty years of women fighting to get this league built, and the question on the table this week is what a woman is,” Kuzma wrote in response to the WNBA task force. “Needing a committee to find that answer is a disservice to every girl who was told this league was for her.”
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Enes Kanter Freedom Says He’s Entering 2027 WNBA Draft to Challenge League Policy
We Publish Breaking News 24/7. Don’t Miss Out! Sign up for our Free daily newsletter HERE.
