Clay Travis claimed that the WNBA is caught in a legal situation now that two ex-NBA players, Enes Kanter and Royce White, have ‘declared’ for the draft.
Travis believes that the league will have to abandon its progressive self-identification rhetoric and admit that biological sex is what defines a “woman” in sports.
Clay Travis Warns WNBA of Impending ‘Legal Mess’ as Enes Kanter and Royce White pull ‘transgender’ stunt
Former NBA players Enes Kanter and Royce White announced on social media that they are “declaring” for the 2027 WNBA Draft. Kanter is a 6-foot-10 former NBA center who played 11 seasons for teams like the Celtics, Knicks, and Thunder, while White is a 6-foot-8 former 1st-round NBA draft pick who transitioned into politics.
Both athletes made announcements stating that under the WNBA’s self-identification and inclusion rhetoric, they meet the criteria to enter the draft. White went so far as to state he identifies as transgender “for the purposes of professional basketball”.
Travis, a conservative sports media commentator, claimed that the WNBA now faced a messy legal situation.
“Interesting legal mess for WNBA as two former NBA players enter draft. There’s already a trans player: a woman who identifies as a man. So which governs eligibility in league, biology or choice? If a woman pretending to be a man is eligible, is a man pretending to be a woman?” Travis wrote on X.
Interesting legal mess for WNBA as two former NBA players enter draft. There’s already a trans player: a woman who identifies as a man. So which governs eligibility in league, biology or choice? If a woman pretending to be a man is eligible, is a man pretending to be a woman?
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) August 12, 2026
In another post on X, Travis questioned whether the WNBA’s eligibility relies on biological birth sex or its gender identity policies.
He argued that to block Kanter and White from entering the draft, the league would be forced to point to its existing trans player and officially rule her a woman based on biology, effectively contradicting its own pro-trans stance.
The player in question is Layshia Clarendon, a non-binary/trans WNBA player who entered the league as a biological female. Otherwise, Travis claims, the league would have to concede that biological men are permitted to play.
Regarding their eligibility status, the WNBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (Article XIII) explicitly states that “Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.”
However, the agreement does not define the word “woman” or explain the official verification process for transgender athletes.
Neither Kanter nor White is actually transgender, nor does it seem that they plan to transition in their personal lives. This is more of an intentional public stunt and political protest.
They are exploiting vague wording in the league’s rules to force the WNBA to publicly declare whether its definition of a “woman” is based on biological sex at birth or gender identity/self-declaration.
