“I want to protect young girls in a locker room,” Sophie Cunningham said about transgender athletes in women’s sports in a July 21 report by ESPN‘s Hallie Grossman. And ever since those comments went viral, demonstrators have staged rallies at Indiana Fever games both for and against Cunningham’s stance. Voices within and outside the community have also spoken up, but among the most notable instances have been two ex-NBA players declaring eligibility for the 2027 WNBA draft. And now, the WNBA has finally given its official statement.
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A WNBA task force of team presidents and general managers met on Wednesday to discuss the debate that has gripped the community since July 21 and respond to the likes of former Boston Celtics player Enes Kanter Freedom, ex-Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders, and the community at large.
“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,” the league stated on August 12, as per Fox News reporter Jackson Thompson.
“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.”
While former Houston Rockets star Royce Whitefirst hinted at the possibility of declaring himself for next year’s WNBA draft, it was Enes Kanter Freedom who first officially declared his eligibility on social media.
“My team and I have carefully examined the WNBA’s eligibility criteria and governing framework surrounding self-identification and inclusion. Based on the current guidelines, I can and am officially declaring my eligibility for the upcoming WNBA draft in April 2027,” Kanter posted on August 7.
Sanders followed soon after, declaring his eligibility on Instagram.
“My name is Larry Sanders, and I would like to officially declare for the WNBA draft. I understand that the rules to get in are somewhat controversial, but I’m going to take advantage of those rules,” he said in a video.
The WNBA currently does not have a publicly available policy that specifically governs the eligibility of transgender athletes. However, their latest statement has revealed that while the conversation around the issue is far from over, they do not feel the need to make any major changes to their existing policy.
Meanwhile, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association had already made their stance clear before Wednesday’s task force meeting.
“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.
The Players’ Union similarly denounced any divisive arguments, saying, “We will continue to have hard conversations. But we will not be used as political pawns.”
Now, with the WNBA promising to thoughtfully approach the issue, the community will have to wait and see how the league plans to close the chapter on this debate.