On Saturday, The Dallas Express posted an article about two basketball players who have asked to be included in the 2027 Women’s National Basketball Association draft. The two players are Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, both retired National Basketball League players.
The article reports:
A second former NBA player has declared for the 2027 WNBA Draft.
Former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White have announced plans to pursue the 2027 WNBA Draft, arguing that the league’s current eligibility rules do not clearly define who qualifies as a “woman” or establish a specific “transgender” eligibility standard.
Royce White was the first to publicly declare his intentions. On August 4, 2026, the former NBA player posted on X: “I’m now transgender. I’m going to pursue a career in the WNBA… I identify as a sometimes identifying trans woman. I wish to be treated fairly and don’t want to be discriminated against. This is a serious pursuit. I realize after 35 years, I’m actually a woman.”
Three days later, on August 7, Enes Kanter Freedom posted a detailed video announcement formally declaring himself a WNBA prospect for the 2027 draft, stating he had reviewed the league’s eligibility guidelines on self-identification and inclusion.
White then expanded on his earlier comments that same day in an interview with Fox News Digital, noting that he had already made his declaration first.
“How you gonna pass up on a 6-foot-8, 270-pound point forward?” White told Fox News/Outkick Sports.
Freedom is 6-foot-10 and listed at 250 pounds during his career, while White is listed at 6-foot-8 and over 260 pounds.
The article concludes:
The declarations come during an ongoing WNBA debate over “transgender” participation in women’s sports that intensified after Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham publicly opposed allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports in July.
“I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” Cunningham told ESPN.
Freedom and White have framed their moves as tests of consistency with stated inclusion principles rather than formal entries into the league.
The 2027 WNBA Draft is scheduled for April. White has indicated possible legal action if denied participation based on identity. Formal eligibility determinations would occur closer to the draft process.
Stay tuned.