Inclusivity is suddenly at the heart of a very, very unexpected basketball story. Enes Kanter Freedom threw his name into the 2027 WNBA Draft on Friday. Now, former Sacramento Kings forward Royce White is making a move of his own. He wants back in the game, and this time, he is not taking no for an answer.
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White is ready to escalate his WNBA push into unfamiliar territory. Even though his 2027 draft bid could spark a legal fight, he didn’t wait for a yes or no from Cathy Engelbert. Instead, the 35-year-old has made his intentions crystal clear.
“You’ve known me for a while and you know I’m the type of guy that pushes things all the way,” White told Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson. “We’re going all the way… I should get a chance to play, don’t you think?”
White emphasized that his team has yet to submit all the necessary paperwork to the WNBA. However, the process is underway while his attorneys are also weighing every legal option available to him.
“I saw that the WNBA commissioner made a comment today. So, that’s to be expected,” White added. “They’re the masters of spin and PR, aren’t they? I’ve been through this before with the NBA, but my legal team is looking into every avenue.”
“I think it’s going to end up being a huge legal battle, to be honest, and probably a necessary one. But I don’t really see what the big deal would be. I think the league would get much better, and certainly I’m the prospective number one pick, right?”
White did not have a long NBA career for several reasons. But one of the most heard about ones was his anxiety disorder and the fear of flying. It led to multiple disagreements, even after the Houston Rockets agreed to let the player travel by a personal bus. A year later, in 2013, they traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers.
By 2014, White was down to a 10-day contract with the Sacramento Kings. He then went overseas and had brief stints in the NBL Canada and Lega Basket Serie A. But after not reporting to training camp, his final contract was voided in 2018. White then moved into politics and is back in the news for his WNBA decision.
White made his announcement not too long after Enes Kanter Freedom first declared for the draft. The latter confirmed that he wasn’t trying to “mock, make fun of, or disrespect any community or personal choices.”
Both pointed to the league’s inclusion policies… Technically, the WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement says, “Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.”
The policy does not explicitly define the term “woman” or specify any criteria about biological sex, hormone levels, or physical attributes.
There’s been only one transgender athlete to ever compete in the WNBA. Layshia Clarendon played in the league for 12 years, but only came out as trans and non-binary after seven years.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert addressed team executives in a memo about transgender player eligibility on Friday as the debate continues to grow.
“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 added that the league has already scheduled an urgent meeting of a task force of presidents and GMs in the coming week.
She added, “I wanted to reach out to share how we are approaching these conversations at the league office and to thank those of you who have responded to questions from the media with thoughtfulness and professionalism.”
The WNBA Commissioner further said, “We recognize that this is a complex and nuanced topic, and we will continue to have important conversations with all of you and the Players Association in the weeks and months ahead.”
The WNBA wants diverse perspectives before moving forward with its approach. Meanwhile, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association released a strong statement on social media that emphasized the league’s core values while also saying the group “will not be used as political pawns.”
“We embrace justice equity, diversity, and inclusion,” the players’ union said. “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.”
Players and coaches like Stefanie Dolson, Gabby Williams, and Cheryl Reeve have publicly spoken in favor of the league supporting athletes. On the other hand, Sophie Cunningham stays firm on her stance to “protect young girls in a locker room” and that they “shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”