WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Friday that the league will continue discussing transgender athlete participation in women’s basketball at a task force meeting next week, declining to take a position as two former NBA players declared for the WNBA draft saying they identify as women.
Engelbert laid out the league’s approach in a memo to teams sent Friday afternoon, obtained by the Associated Press (AP) and ESPN, telling team leaders she expected the topic to keep drawing attention. The memo landed the same day the eligibility question moved from the stands onto the roster.
“I know many of you have received questions in recent weeks regarding transgender athlete participation in women’s basketball, and I expect this topic will continue to receive significant attention,” Engelbert wrote.
The commissioner said the league would “always approach this topic thoughtfully, respectfully, and in alignment with the longstanding values of our league.” She noted that WNBA eligibility rules, unlike those of other leagues, are collectively bargained, and said preserving “the integrity of our game and ensuring fair competition” would remain among the league’s highest priorities.
The league’s collective bargaining agreement states that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA,” but includes no language on gender identity or sex assigned at birth. On Friday, former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom declared for the 2027 draft, arguing the league’s stated principles on inclusion should apply to him.
“I’m simply asking that the current rules be applied equally to everyone,” Kanter Freedom said. Former first-round pick Royce White declared shortly after, saying he identifies as a woman “for purpose of basketball.”
The declarations drew a wave of reaction on X, where users traded jokes about the prospect of the two former NBA players joining the league. Some mocked White’s abbreviated NBA tenure and questioned his motives, while others riffed on the logistics of a comeback and the league’s own eligibility standards.
The Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) pushed back in a statement Friday, asserting it would not be politicized.
“Hate, abuse, and demonization of any person or group of people, including transgender people, only fuel fear, division, and harm,” the union said. “We will continue to have hard conversations. But we will not be used as political pawns.”
The debate erupted after Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham voiced support for barring transgender girls and women from women’s sports. Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve countered that protecting trans kids is “a human rights issue.”
Rallies have trailed the Fever from Seattle to Portland. A lone protester turned out for Thursday’s home game against the Las Vegas Aces, and two conservative groups planned a rally supporting Cunningham ahead of Saturday’s game in Chicago.