Former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom announced Friday that he is declaring for the 2027 WNBA Draft, arguing that the league’s eligibility guidelines and emphasis on self-identification and inclusion make him eligible. Hours later, former first-round pick Royce White said he would do the same while identifying as a transgender woman for the purpose of professional basketball.
Kanter Freedom, the 6-foot-10 former third overall pick who played 11 NBA seasons for teams including the Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers and Boston Celtics, posted a video on X while wearing a WNBA-branded hoodie. He said his team had examined the WNBA’s criteria surrounding self-identification and inclusion.
“After careful consideration and reviewing the current eligibility guidelines, I’m officially declaring myself a @WNBA prospect,” Kanter Freedom said. “If simply declaring who you are is all that’s required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA. … I am definitely not here to mock, make fun of, or disrespect any community or personal choices. I’m simply asking that the current rules be applied equally to everyone — the rules that represent the very values many WNBA players and coaches have publicly advocated for. … See you at training camp.”
White, the 6-foot-8 former Houston Rockets first-round selection (16th overall in 2012) and current Minnesota Republican Senate candidate, told Fox News Digital he identifies as “sometimes identifying as a woman for purpose of basketball, professional basketball” and would declare for the 2027 draft as well. He previously posted similar comments on X days earlier and said he believes he would be “unstoppable.” White indicated only a “definitive statement” from the WNBA that males cannot play in the league would stop him, and he raised the possibility of legal action over discrimination if barred.
After careful consideration and reviewing the current eligibility guidelines,
I’m 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.
My team and I have… pic.twitter.com/msncUZUT1J
— Enes Kanter FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) August 7, 2026
The announcements come amid ongoing debate over transgender participation in women’s sports, heightened recently by comments from Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham about protecting young girls in locker rooms and competition from biological males.
The WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement states that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” The document does not define “woman” or contain an explicit self-identification standard or detailed public transgender eligibility policy.
The Women’s National Basketball Players Association responded with a statement emphasizing inclusion while rejecting political use of the league: “We embrace justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Those are the values that unite this Union and allow it to protect women’s sports while creating transformational change. Hate, abuse, and demonization of any person or group of people, including transgender people, only fuel fear, division, and harm. We will continue to have hard conversations. But we will not be used as political pawns.” The league itself had not issued a detailed public response clarifying eligibility criteria as of Saturday.
Reactions on X quickly split along familiar lines in the broader cultural debate.
Supporters of the declarations framed them as a consistency test that exposes perceived hypocrisy. Users argued the moves force the WNBA to define its terms clearly or apply rules evenly. One post called for Kanter Freedom to receive recognition if the effort leads the league to define “woman” and end male participation in women’s sports. Others celebrated the challenge as highlighting fairness and biological realities, with comments such as “Your move, @WNBA” and predictions that the announcements would pressure the league into clearer policy. Some treated the declarations as serious enough to pursue through formal channels or potential litigation if denied.
Critics dismissed the announcements as publicity stunts, bad-faith trolling or mockery that undermines transgender people and women’s sports. Posts labeled them “corny political stunt,” questioned the sincerity of the gender identification claims, and accused the former players of using the issue for attention or political gain. The WNBPA statement’s rejection of being “political pawns” aligned with this view. Other reactions portrayed opposition to the declarations as bigotry or transphobia, while some sarcastically “supported” the players’ self-identification to highlight what they saw as the logical endpoint of pure self-ID policies. A number of posts simply expressed amusement or predicted the league would not allow either man to participate.
A second former NBA player plans to join the WNBA.
Royce White – a first-round NBA Draft pick in 2012 – told me he will be declaring for the 2027 WNBA Draft. The only thing that will stop him is if the WNBA makes a "definitive statement" that males can't play in the league. https://t.co/1TiWv2d8Kp pic.twitter.com/22SsSgoHTf
— Jackson Thompson (@JackThompsonFOX) August 8, 2026
Neither Kanter Freedom nor White has publicly submitted formal draft paperwork, and eligibility ultimately rests with the league’s processes rather than self-declaration alone. The 2027 WNBA Draft is still months away. The dual announcements have amplified pressure on the league to clarify its standards amid competing demands for inclusion and competitive fairness in women’s basketball.
