The recent atmosphere around the WNBA is not only about the ongoing season. A different conversation has started to take over social media, with former NBA players expressing their interest in playing in the women’s league.
After Enes Kanter Freedom announced his intention to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft, former NBA player Royce White has now made a similar declaration.
Royce White’s Recent Declaration Regarding the WNBA
White recently announced on X that he would be declaring for the WNBA Draft while saying that he identifies as a woman.
“I identify as sometimes-identifying as a woman for the purposes of professional basketball, so I’ll be declaring for the WNBA Draft in 2027 as well.”
“I mean, I think I’d be unstoppable. But I’m a team-first guy, a pass-first kind of player. I do the little things. I led my team in all five stat categories at Iowa State University. So I do whatever the coach needs me to do; I do whatever the girls need me to do,” White said in the video.
In another post on X, White shared a video of himself dunking while playing against the Canadian basketball team Island Storm.
Along with the video, he addressed the response to his announcement and claimed that he has been receiving a lot of hate since identifying as transgender.
“I haven’t even been publicly trans for 72 hours and I’m already getting so much hate… I just want to hoop with my girls in my feminine era! Why can’t y’all be happy for me?” White wrote on X.
White had also addressed the possibility of changing his plans in his original declaration video. He said that he would reconsider entering the WNBA if the league made a clear public statement that men cannot play in the competition.
“I think the WNBA needs to make a definitive statement about guys with a pair of balls playing in the women’s association. But hey, that would probably be too much, right?” White added.
His announcement has also brought attention back to his NBA career. White was selected by the Houston Rockets with the 16th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. However, he never appeared in a game for Houston after dealing with mental health issues and a fear of flying.
The former NBA player eventually made his NBA debut with the Sacramento Kings in 2014. He played only three games during that season. His limited NBA career has since become another part of the discussion surrounding his decision to enter the WNBA Draft.
As mentioned before, White is not the only former NBA player who has recently put himself at the center of this conversation. Kanter Freedom is also on the list.
Kanter Freedom’s announcement has received support from Donald Trump Jr. The eldest son of U.S. President Donald Trump has predicted that Kanter Freedom would break WNBA records during his first season if he were allowed to play.
“I’m going to go out in a limb here and predict Enes breaks every record in the WNBA in year one. She truly is going to make a spectacular women’s basketball player,” Trump Jr. predicted on X.
With both former NBA players now talking about entering the WNBA, the discussion has moved beyond the court. However, for White, the latest focus is also on the reaction he has received online.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
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