Ex-NBA Players Say They’re ‘Declaring’ For WNBA As League Considers Transgender Player Policy

Aug 09, 2026 02:26 AM - 57 minutes ago 1

Topline

A brace of erstwhile NBA players person taken a mocking stance amid the ongoing statement astir transgender athletes successful women’s sports and said they’ll "declare" for the 2027 WNBA Draft successful a trial of the league's eligibility standards.

Enes Kanter connected Feb. 26, 2020.

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Key Facts

Royce White, who played successful 3 games of a singular NBA play much than 10 years ago, and erstwhile NBA halfway Enes Kanter Freedom person some said they’ll effort to beryllium drafted by the women’s convention adjacent twelvemonth and that, nether the league’s inclusionary approach, they should beryllium eligible.

Kanter, who legally changed his sanction to see "Freedom" aft becoming a U.S. national successful 2021, said he'd reviewed the league's eligibility model and should suffice nether the "self-identification and inclusion" rules.

His declaration went viral Friday nighttime and was quickly followed by a akin 1 from White, who told Fox News, “I place arsenic sometimes identifying arsenic a female for purposes of… master basketball.”

Kanter said his connection did not intend to “mock, make nosy of, aliases disrespect immoderate organization aliases individual choices,” but that he was pushing the WNBA to refine its guidelines astir who could play successful the league.

White, who said he thinks he'd beryllium "unstoppable" successful the WNBA, said he, too, was trying to situation the WNBA: "I'd for illustration to cognize what the parameters are."

The brace are weighing successful connected a speech sparked by Indiana Fever prima Sophie Cunningham, who past period said she would not support transgender women playing successful the league, and later fueled by Fox News-owned sports outlet OutKick, which goaded a French transgender hoops subordinate into admitting she'd for illustration to play successful the convention successful an effort to push the WNBA to alteration its noncommittal stance.

CRUCIAL QUOTE

"If simply declaring who you are is each that’s required, past I meet each azygous request basal to compete successful the WNBA," Kanter said.

WHAT DO THE WNBA RULES SAY ABOUT ELIGIBILITY?

Article XIII, Section 1(a) of the WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement says, "Only players who are women are eligible to play successful the WNBA." The argumentation does not explicitly specify the word "woman" aliases specify immoderate criteria astir biologic sex, hormone levels aliases beingness attributes. There is nary clause that allows personification to beryllium eligible simply by declaring aliases self-identifying arsenic a woman.

WHAT HAS THE WNBA SAID ABOUT TRANSGENDER PLAYERS?

Not much. On Friday, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert sent a memo to teams that said a task unit of squad presidents and wide managers will talk the rumor of transgender players astatine a gathering adjacent week. WNBA subordinate eligibility rules are governed by the Collective Bargaining Agreement, meaning they aren’t astatine the sole discretion of WNBA leadership, but she did opportunity "preserving the integrity of our crippled and ensuring adjacent title will ever stay among the league’s highest priorities.” The WNBA Players Association issued a general connection Friday, emphasizing diverseness and inclusion while saying the statement "will not beryllium utilized arsenic governmental pawns." The connection said the national hopes to "protect women’s sports while creating transformational change," adding, "Hate, abuse, and demonization of immoderate personification aliases group of people, including transgender people, only substance fear, division, and harm."

Key background

The existent push to solidify the eligibility requirements comes aft Cunningham who has been described arsenic "MAGA Barbie" online, past period said she wants to "protect women's sports" and doesn't deliberation group calved antheral should beryllium allowed into the league. Her remarks person since triggered mini rallies some supporting and opposing her astatine WNBA games, and gained much visibility aft OutKick sent a nonstop message to transgender French hoops subordinate Julie Tétart asking if she'd for illustration to play successful the WNBA. Tétart, a 34-year-old who plays for Monaco successful second-tier French women's hoops Ligue 2, said it would beryllium a dream travel existent but reportedly added, “you person to beryllium realistic: I'm old, and location are acold amended players than me!" OutKick past published an article slamming the “inclusive” WNBA for not having called up the subordinate aft her dominating play successful France’s 2nd division, and Outkick laminitis Clay Travis called the convention "transphobic" connected X.