Male Players Are Testing The WNBA’s Eligibility Rules. Here’s How Other Women’s Sports Decide Who Can Play
A league source said the two former NBA players were barred after declaring themselves women, as the WNBA faces debate over transgender participation.
- On Monday, the WNBA declared former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White ineligible for the draft. A league source described their entry attempts as "publicity stunts" designed to mock the WNBA.
- The two men inserted themselves into transgender athlete debates on Aug. 7, declaring they would identify as women to enter the 2027 WNBA draft. Their actions sparked national discourse on the topic.
- Tensions escalated Sunday night at Wintrust Arena when Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud confronted Freedom, who wore a shirt reading "WOMAN," during a game against the Indiana Fever. Security escorted him from the court.
- League officials stated the WNBA will ignore attempts to mock the league and marginalize others while continuing thoughtful internal conversations on transgender athlete participation. The league has not announced plans to restrict Freedom's future attendance.
- Debates regarding transgender athletes intensified after Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham commented on the topic last month. While 1% of the U.S. population identifies as transgender, the WNBA has never had a transgender player participate.
21 Articles
21 Articles
WNBA Embarrasses Itself Yet Again — Bars Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White
The WNBA has ruled former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White ineligible to play. It did so while scolding them for making the league look ridiculous. Front Office Sports reported the decision from league sources. Freedom and White had publicly floated entering the women’s draft. Freedom also showed up at a game, sat with fans, and ended up in a shouting match with Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud before security removed him. The leag…
These men said they would say they’re women to play in the WNBA. The WNBA just shut them down.
Former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White – who are both cisgender men – are not eligible for the WNBA draft despite declaring themselves “women” earlier this month. A source with direct knowledge of the situation who spoke with USA TODAY Sports on Monday described Kanter Freedom and Royce’s separate announcements as “publicity stunts” aimed at sowing division and manufacturing controversy. The WNBA, the source said, would not “give…
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