By George Caldwell (The Washington Times)
Retired basketball player Royce White says he’s coming out as transgender in a bid to compete in the WNBA.
Ditto former Boston Celtic Enes Kanter Freedom, who also declared for the women’s league on Friday.
“I identify as sometimes identifying as a woman for purposes of basketball,” White, 35, told Fox News. “So I’ll be declaring for the WNBA draft in 2027.
“I think I’d be unstoppable,” White said.
He first stated in a Tuesday social media post he was “now transgender.”
White, a 6-foot-8 Iowa State forward, was selected by the Houston Rockets in the first round of the NBA draft in 2012 and played briefly in the NBA with the Sacramento Kings in 2014.
His latest declaration could be a stunt to satirize transgender athletes participating in women’s sports. The WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement states that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA,” but does not provide a definition of a woman.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert sent a memo Friday to teams promising ongoing discussions around transgender athletes in women’s basketball.
“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. “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 memo said the topic will be discussed further by a task force of team presidents and general managers at a previously scheduled meeting next week.
“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,” Engelbert said in the memo. “We also plan to convene additional discussions and offer listening sessions for any team leaders who would like to participate. Your perspectives and feedback are invaluable, and I appreciate those who have already reached out to share their thoughts.”
The WNBA players’ association released a statement on social media Friday that emphasized diversity and inclusion while saying the group “will not be used as political pawns.”
“We embrace justice equity, diversity, and inclusion,” the statement read. “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.”
Some WNBA players and coaches have come out in support of transgender athletes, including Seattle Storm center Stefanie Dolson and Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve.
“We need to protect trans kids,” Reeve said on Aug. 1. “To me, it’s a human rights issue. Every kid has a right to sports.”
White was the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota in 2024, losing to Democratic incumbent Amy Klobuchar. This year he’s again seeking the Republican nomination to fill the vacant seat of Democratic Sen. Tina Smith, who is not seeking reelection.
“I don’t want to be discriminated against,” he said. “I’m a young, Black, hopefully United States senator that would like a fair chance to participate as a sometimes-identifying-as-a-transgender woman athlete.”
Freedom, 34, last played for the Boston Celtics in 2022.
“If simply declaring who you are is all that’s required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA,” the 6-foot-10-inch former center said. “I am simply asking that the current rules be applied equally to everyone.”
White says they came up with the idea independently.
“Great minds think alike,” he said.
The debate over transgender athletes has been reignited after Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever told ESPN, “I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
This article, based in part on wire service reports, was made available to WMAL via The Washington Times.
