Critics slam ex-NBA players' push to enter WNBA draft

Amid heated debate over transgender athletes in women's sports, former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White say they plan to enter the 2027 WNBA draft. Experts say it's a "bad-faith" attempt to score political points at the expense of a marginalized community.

Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White join heated debate over transgender athletes in women's sports

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Two former NBA players jumped into the heart of heated discussions about transgender athletes this week, as both men declared they plan to enter the 2027 WNBA draft.

The announcements from Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White were widely criticized, called by one sports columnist not only "political stunts mocking the league and the women who play in it, but malicious attempts to demean a marginalized population."

The WNBA has faced weeks of controversy over Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham's recent comments about trans people in sports.

Now, Kanter Freedom and White say their plans hinge on the league rules, which state only women can play, but which do not rule out transgender women. Here's what you need to know.

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How did this start?

The debate began after Cunningham told ESPN she wanted "to protect … young girls in sport who shouldn't have to go against biological men."

The term "biological male" is often used to deny or undermine trans, non-binary and gender-diverse people.

The remarks tapped into an issue hotly debated far beyond the WNBA, and set off a firestorm of media attention and protests in support of — and against — Cunningham.

Some in the Trump administration expressed support, including Vice-President JD Vance who hailed her as "courageous" in an interview with Fox News.

Meanwhile, some coaches and players in the WNBA — which has never had a transgender player and whose fanbase has traditionally been 2SLGTBQ+ — defended inclusivity in sports, including for transgender women and girls.

The players' union, the Women's National Basketball Player's Association, condemned "hate, abuse, and demonization" of any group, including transgender people, in a Sunday statement. "We will continue to have hard conversations. But we will not be used as political pawns."

What have White and Kanter Freedom said?

Kanter Freedom, who retired from the NBA in 2022 after 11 seasons, wrote on Instagram he meets "every single requirement" of the WNBA, because "simply declaring who you are is all that’s required."

He added he is not out to "mock, make fun of, or disrespect any community or personal choices."

White — who averaged zero points in his only three NBA games — told Fox News that he "sometimes [identifies] as a woman for purposes of basketball."

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He said he would fit into the WNBA because he has "naturally fair skin" and "thick eyelashes." He also said he was "looking into" wigs. White was, until recently, also trying for a Republican Senate nomination in Minnesota.

Daniel Sailofsky, an assistant professor of sport management at York University in Toronto, said it's "not an accident" that the WNBA — a league dominated largely by Black and queer women, which has been "overtly political" and enjoys growing success — is being targeted.

The push by Kanter Freedom and White is "an attempt to score points" in a right-wing movement that "wants to remove trans people from public life," said Sailofsky, accusing them of being "disingenuous" and acting in "bad faith."

"None of these people who are making these claims now have ever cared one iota about women's sport," Sailofsky told CBC News.

What are the league's rules and what has it said?

WNBA eligibility is outlined in the league's collective bargaining agreement, which allows "only players who are women" and does not explicitly exclude transgender women.

In a statement, a WNBA spokesperson told CBC News the league held a meeting on Wednesday that touched on "ongoing discussions on transgender athletes and the continued hate and vitriol directed at players online."

While the statement did not explicitly refer to Kanter Freedom and White, it said: "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."

What's the wider context?

Right-wing politicians and activists have increasingly seized on women’s sports to push anti-trans messaging in recent years, leading to "very real repercussions," said Charles Macaulay, an assistant professor at the University of Guelph who studies how social issues and sports intersect.

"This discourse is starting to find its way into government policy. It’s finding its way into sport organizations’ policy," Macaulay said.

Last year, U.S. President Trump signed an executive order cutting off federal funds from schools that allow transgender women and girls to play on those teams. A day later, the NCAA — which governs U.S. collegiate sports — barred trans athletes from competing on women's teams.

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In Canada, Alberta recently passed legislation banning transgender girls from participating in amateur female sports. The International Olympic Committee also essentially banned transgender women from women's events.

These policies can lead to youth being excluded from sports, said Macaulay, who said the question we should be asking is, "How can we create an environment that is inclusive and safe for all individuals?"

"That's important for us to keep front and centre whenever we think about this incredibly complex and nuanced topic, about a very numerically small population and also an incredibly marginalized population."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jillian Kestler-D'Amours is a senior writer at CBC based in Montreal. You can reach her at jillian.kestler-d.amours@cbc.ca.