The WNBA is putting their foot down as former NBA players like Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White have declared for the W’s upcoming 2027 Draft.
Regardless of if you are a WNBA fan or not, there’s a good chance you’ve heard the latest drama out of the league. It all started when Indiana Fever forward, Sophie Cunningham, came out in an interview and said she was against biological men playing women sports.
In response, Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve wore a “Trans Kids Belong” t-shirt while coaching a game against the Indiana Fever. It was an undoubtable protest to Cunningham’s comments:
Following that ordeal, a former NBA star and former first round pick decided to really put the WNBA in a sticky situation. Since certain high-profile individuals and players in the W have defended biological men playing in the women’s league, Enes Kanter Freedom announced he would be testing that stance.
He posted a video to social media saying he was declaring himself for the 2027 WNBA Draft:
“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.”
That, along with another former NBA player named Royce White saying he’d be doing the same, effectively put the ball in the WNBA’s court.
To be clear, if you are to take a look at the W’s collective bargaining agreement, it states that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” However, it doesn’t clarify or specify if it’s a matter of sex assigned at birth or gender identity.
A task force that met yesterday discussed league eligibility rules and transgender athletes, and apparently didn’t come to a clear conclusion, according to ESPN:
“Today’s meeting covered a wide range of topics, including ongoing discussions on transgender athletes and the continued hate and vitriol directed at players online. We will continue to engage all league stakeholders in the coming weeks and months. We will approach these important conversations thoughtfully and in alignment with the values of our league. There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others.”
That last part right there has gotten the attention of social media. Basically they’re saying they haven’t come to a conclusion on what “Women’s” means in the Women’s National Basketball League.
Many sports fans have asked and wondered how the WNBA could come together and not be able to reach a concrete stance on eligibility. This response in particular seemed to really capture the spirit of the “task force” that was assembled to deal with this latest WNBA-centric controversy:
The WNBA task force: pic.twitter.com/T65YnNHcqi
— Carlton Banks’ Burner Account (@cbanksburner) August 13, 2026
Amidst the response to the W discussing eligibility matters, they decided to put out a statement saying they were never even worried about the constructs of the league’s eligibility in the first place. The WNBA released this statement, which was definitely aimed at players like Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White:
“There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA, and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others.”
Someone better tell Enes Kanter Freedom that it looks like he can cool it with his preparation for the 2027 WNBA Draft:
