A second former NBA player has declared for the 2027 WNBA Draft.
Former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White have announced plans to pursue the 2027 WNBA Draft, arguing that the league’s current eligibility rules do not clearly define who qualifies as a “woman” or establish a specific “transgender” eligibility standard.
Royce White was the first to publicly declare his intentions. On August 4, 2026, the former NBA player posted on X: “I’m now transgender. I’m going to pursue a career in the WNBA… I identify as a sometimes identifying trans woman. I wish to be treated fairly and don’t want to be discriminated against. This is a serious pursuit. I realize after 35 years, I’m actually a woman.”
Three days later, on August 7, Enes Kanter Freedom posted a detailed video announcement formally declaring himself a WNBA prospect for the 2027 draft, stating he had reviewed the league’s eligibility guidelines on self-identification and inclusion.
White then expanded on his earlier comments that same day in an interview with Fox News Digital, noting that he had already made his declaration first.
“How you gonna pass up on a 6-foot-8, 270-pound point forward?” White told Fox News/Outkick Sports.
Freedom is 6-foot-10 and listed at 250 pounds during his career, while White is listed at 6-foot-8 and over 260 pounds.
Freedom was selected third overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2011 NBA Draft and played 11 seasons across five teams (Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Boston Celtics), appearing in 748 regular-season games while averaging 11.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
White was chosen 16th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2012 NBA Draft after a standout season at Iowa State but appeared in just three NBA games with the Sacramento Kings during the 2013-14 season.
Neither man has submitted formal draft paperwork, and the WNBA has not accepted either declaration or confirmed eligibility.
The announcements come during a heated debate over biological males competing in women’s sports and reference the league’s collective bargaining agreement, which states only that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA” without further defining the term.
White said the move challenges the league to define parameters clearly and indicated he would pursue the declaration regardless, stating he does not want to be discriminated against.
“I think the WNBA could come out and make a definitive statement about guys with a pair of balls playing in the Women’s Association,” White told Fox.
When asked what team he would like to play for, White told Fox that “it’s got to be the Minnesota Lynx, and I hear the coach loves a good transgender, so we’ll all be in perfect harmony.”
WNBA Rules and Response
Article XIII, Section 1(a) of the WNBA’s 2026 collective bargaining agreement states that “Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” The document contains no definition of “women,” no reference to “gender identity,” no hormone thresholds, and no policy on “sex-altering procedures” or “transgender” athletes, as The Dallas Express previously reported.
The Women’s National Basketball Players Association issued a statement on Friday addressing the broader debate:
“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.”
As of time of publication, the WNBA league office has not issued a public comment specifically addressing the Freedom or White declarations, nor has it indicated acceptance of self-identification alone as sufficient for eligibility.
Riley Gaines, a 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer for the University of Kentucky who rose to prominence after tying for fifth place with biological male Lia Thomas in the 200-yard freestyle at the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming Championships, has become one of the leading advocates for restricting women’s sports categories to biological females. In response to former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom’s declaration for the 2027 WNBA Draft, she stated in an interview on “The Story with Martha MacCallum” (Fox News) the following:
“I’ve seen people online say that Enes Kanter Freedom is making a ‘mockery’ of women’s sports, but that’s not at all what he’s doing. He’s making a mockery of the people who have made a mockery of women’s sports.“
“I think it’s fantastic. I think it’s brilliant, and genius. The WNBA has the opportunity to put their money where their mouth is – they can either recruit and sign Enes Kanter Freedom to a WNBA team or they can prove themselves as total, absolute bigots who don’t believe the things they are actually advocating for,” Gaines continued.
Context of the Announcements
The declarations come during an ongoing WNBA debate over “transgender” participation in women’s sports that intensified after Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham publicly opposed allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports in July.
“I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” Cunningham told ESPN.
Freedom and White have framed their moves as tests of consistency with stated inclusion principles rather than formal entries into the league.
The 2027 WNBA Draft is scheduled for April. White has indicated possible legal action if denied participation based on identity. Formal eligibility determinations would occur closer to the draft process.
Provided by Dallas Express
