Ex-NBA Forward Joins Enes Kanter in Declaring for WNBA Draft to Send a Message Amid Sophie Cunningham Trans-Athlete Drama
For weeks, the debate over transgender athletes in women’s sports has played out in front of the media as players, coaches, rallies outside arenas, and dueling reactions on social media fueled the fire.
On Friday, it took a stranger turn.
Two former NBA players, within hours of each other, publicly declared their intention to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft, framing their eligibility in the league’s own language on self-identification and inclusion.
Ex-NBA Players Mock WNBA By Declaring For 2027 Draft
The chain of events goes back to Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who told ESPN she wants to “protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
Her stance drew rallies in her support outside Fever road games, saw Seattle Storm co-owner suspended, and coaxed public responses from multiple opposing coaches, including Minnesota’s Cheryl Reeve, who wore a “Trans Kids Belong” shirt during a nationally televised game. That backdrop is what set up Friday’s news.
Former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom said that he had reviewed the WNBA’s eligibility language and, based on the league’s own stated commitment to self-identification and inclusion, he qualifies for the 2027 WNBA Draft.
Hours later, former NBA first-round pick and current Minnesota Republican Senate candidate Royce White told Fox News Digital he was making the same declaration.
White claimed he’d actually beaten Kanter Freedom to the idea, pointing to a since-posted X message from four days earlier stating, “I’m transgender. I’m a woman. I identify as sometimes identifying as a woman for the purpose of basketball, professional basketball, so I’ll be declaring for the WNBA draft in 2027 as well.”
He followed it up with a fresh post making it clear he had no intention of backing down.
White added that his preferred landing spot would be Minnesota, calling out Reeve directly. He then mentioned how he would explore legal action if he goes undrafted, calling it a potential case of discrimination.
A public declaration alone, however, doesn’t place either player in next year’s draft pool; nor does it guarantee a roster spot or even formal draft eligibility.
The WNBPA released a statement shortly after Kanter’s announcement, reading, “We embrace justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.” It went on to say that “hate, abuse, and demonization of any person or group of people, including transgender people, only fuel fear, division, and harm,” and made clear the union would “not be used as political pawns.”
The statement didn’t name either player, didn’t take a position on eligibility either way, and didn’t clarify what the league’s existing rules would actually mean for a case like theirs.
The WNBA, which is separate from the players’ union, has not issued any statement or clarified what criteria it would use to evaluate an applicant such as Kanter or White.
As things stand, a controversy that began with one player’s comments about locker rooms has now pulled in two more athletes willing to test the league’s own rules to make their point.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
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