WNBA Email Reacting to Former NBA Players Declaring For 2027 Draft Leaked

The WNBA have been savaged for their response to two former NBA players declaring themselves for the league’s 2027 Draft after an email on the subject was leaked.

Both Enes Kanter and Royce White decided to test the league’s vague transgender policy by trying to be drafted by a WNBA franchise. The announcements sparked plenty of debate online.

Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has since responded to the news, confirming that discussions are still ongoing about whether transgender athletes should be able to compete in women’s basketball.

The Debate Over Transgender Athletes in the WNBA

Credit: Royce White Instagram

The situation began with Kanter and White taking to social media to announce their intention to become WNBA players. Kanter said: “If simply declaring who you are is all that’s required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA.”

They also added that their team has carefully examined the league’s eligibility criteria and governing framework, whilst attempting to shut down any speculation that this is a stunt. “I am definitely not here to mock, make fun of, or disrespect any community or personal choices,” they said.

Meanwhile, White has also been active on social media, tweeting: “I haven’t even been publicly trans for 72 hours, and I’m already getting so much hate.”

Since then, Engelbert has addressed the ongoing discussions over the issue, with a memo recently sent to the teams. She said:

“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.”

The memo also said the topic will be discussed further with a task force of team presidents and general managers now scheduled for a meeting next week.

Florida Governor Mocks WNBA’s Response to Transgender Controversy

Among those to criticize the league for their reaction was Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Unable to believe that officials hadn’t taken a stronger stance, he took to social media, where he said: “WNBA meeting to decide whether 2+2=4 or 2+2=5.”

DeSantis ran against US President Donald Trump during the 2024 primaries, where the debate over transgender policy in sports was discussed at length.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham initially sparked the controversy by criticizing the idea of transgender athletes in the WNBA. However, after that spurred so much debate, she recently said: “I’m going to let people just do the speaking for themselves, but for me, I want to get back to basketball.”