A second former NBA player has now declared themselves for the 2027 WNBA Draft.
Following on from Enes Kanter Freedom’s declaration on Friday night, former Sacremento Kings forward Royce White has also announced himself for the Draft.
White last played in the NBA in 2014 while Freedom played 35 games for the Boston Celtics in the 2021-22 season. There is currently a divide between current members and players in the WNBA, some all for the inclusion of transgender athletes and others not on board.
The debate was sparked by Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham, who argued in July that transgender women should not compete against biological women in women’s sport.
When making his declaration on Friday, Freedom pointed to the league’s own self-identification rules and what he described as a lack of a public definition for women as his grounds for entering the Draft.
Royce White Declares For 2027 WNBA Draft
White has now followed suit, telling Fox News Digital: “I’m transgender. I’m a woman. I identify as someone identifying as a woman for purpose of basketball, professional basketball, so I’ll be declaring for the WNBA draft in 2027.
“I think I’d be unstoppable. But I’m a team-first guy. I’m a pass-first kind of player. I do the little things. I led my team in all five major stat categories at Iowa State University, so I do a little bit of everything. I’ll do whatever the coach needs me to do. I’ll do whatever the girls need me to do. It’s only fair.”
In response, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association hit back with a statement:
“The WNBPA represents 200+ individual people with different lived experiences, cultures, lifestyles and opinions. 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. 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.”
Will Freedom and White Actually Play in the WNBA?
Despite there being nothing in the current WNBA rules to prevent Freedom and White from declaring for the 2027 Draft, it should be pointed out that there is a big difference between a player making themselves available for selection and actually being drafted.
In the midst of all the controversy, Sophie Cunningham has sought to clarify her original comments. She told ESPN: “I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that’.”
With the 2027 WNBA Draft not due to take place until April, the debate over eligibility looks set to rumble on for some time to come.