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Who are Royce White, Enes Freedom? Why ex-NBA players are ‘declaring’ for 2027 WNBA draft - transgender row explained
Former NBA players Royce White and Enes Kanter Freedom have announced they intend to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft.
Former NBA players Royce White and Enes Kanter Freedom have announced plans to “declare” for the 2027 WNBA Draft, turning the league’s rules on player eligibility into the center of a new controversy over transgender athletes in women’s sports.
White, a former first-round NBA pick, told Fox News Digital on Friday that he planned to pursue the WNBA Draft while identifying as transgender. His announcement came hours after Kanter Freedom, another former NBA player, made a similar declaration.
The announcements do not mean either former NBA player has entered the WNBA or is guaranteed a place in the draft. The league has not said that either man is eligible to play.
Who is Royce White?
Royce White is a former professional basketball player who was selected 16th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2012 NBA Draft.
White played college basketball at Iowa State University, where he averaged 13.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and five assists during his lone season. According to Fox News Digital, he became the only Division I player that season to lead his team in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks.
White later played professionally and has also been involved in Republican politics. He was the Republican nominee against Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar in Minnesota's 2024 Senate election and is running again in the state's Aug. 11 Republican primary.
White said he had announced his intention to pursue a WNBA career several days before Kanter Freedom made his announcement.
In an Aug. 4 post on X, White said he was transgender and would pursue a career in the WNBA.
Who is Enes Kanter Freedom?
Enes Kanter Freedom is a former NBA center who played for several teams during a career that included stints with the Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers and Boston Celtics.
He became an American citizen in 2021 and added “Freedom” to his name. His political activism and criticism of the Chinese government have also drawn significant attention during and after his NBA career.
On Friday, Freedom announced that he planned to declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft. He said he and his team had reviewed the league's eligibility rules and its approach to self-identification and inclusion.
What are the WNBA rules?
The controversy centers on the wording of the WNBA's 2026 collective bargaining agreement.
Article XIII states that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” However, the 409-page agreement does not further define “women” or publicly establish a detailed policy specifically addressing transgender or intersex eligibility, according to the Fox News report.
It also does not state that self-identification alone automatically establishes eligibility.
That means White and Freedom's announcements do not, by themselves, establish that they meet the league's eligibility requirements.
The WNBA has not publicly explained how it would assess the eligibility of either former NBA player.
What did White say about playing?
White said he intends to pursue the opportunity unless the league clearly establishes a rule preventing men from playing in the women's league.
He also suggested he could pursue legal action if he were not drafted or signed, framing a potential rejection as a discrimination issue.
White, who is listed at 6-foot-8 and more than 260 pounds, also argued that his physical size would give him an advantage in the WNBA.
He said he would want to play for the Minnesota Lynx and use the team's women's locker room if he made the roster.
The WNBA Players Association addressed the wider controversy Friday without setting out eligibility rules. The union said it embraces “justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion” and opposed the targeting or demonization of transgender people.
