Earlier this month, former NBA player Royce White, through a declaration signed by ex-U.S. congressman and lawyer Matt Gaetz, sent a letter of intent to join the 2027 WNBA Draft.
The move came as the league was already facing questions over its eligibility rules for transgender athletes.
On Monday, Front Office Sports reported that White and Enes Kanter were ruled ineligible for the draft. White said he received no communication from the WNBA and asked the league to confirm or deny the report, setting off a wave of reactions online.
Sports Community Erupts After Royce White Weighs In on Reported WNBA Draft Ineligibility
About two weeks ago, the WNBA and team executives met to discuss the transgender athlete issue that has polarized the sports world. The caucus followed White and Kanter’s announcement that they intended to join the league.
In a statement released to ESPN, the WNBA wrote that “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.”
White responded Monday after reports emerged that the WNBA had found him ineligible for the draft.
“I have not received any official or unofficial communication back from the WNBA regarding my eligibility. I will say as a Black Trans lesbian, the rumors of denial for my multi-spirit existence are concerning,” White tweeted.
“… If the ‘sources’ are true, I would like to see the league take immediate action to correct anybody who refuses to affirm my identity or use my pronouns pay/me.”
UPDATE: I have not received any official or unofficial communication back from the WNBA regarding my eligibility. I will say as a Black Trans lesbian, the rumors of denial for my multi-spirit existence are concerning. I’d also like to remind everyone there is a Trans genocide… pic.twitter.com/mLY3XyQPJy
— Royce White 🇺🇸 (@Highway_30) August 25, 2026
White’s response quickly spread across social media, drawing sharply different reactions from sports followers.
“They do need to do the work; this is outrageous!! Justice for Roysha!” a sports observer wrote.
They do need to do the work, this is outrageous!! Justice for Roysha!
— Camille Harris (@CamilleH57957) August 25, 2026
“You’re a performative clown looking for relevancy,” an X user reacted.
“The WNBA is a joke,” another X user added.
The @WNBA is a joke 🤣 https://t.co/MHasJbHvxt
— Scott Moseman (@ScottMoseman) August 25, 2026
“Those who’ve been championing this [expletive] for years are completely defenseless against their own absurdities parroted back at them word for word,” another sports observer remarked.
“Is this stunt starting to expose their hypocrisy?” a self-proclaimed MAGA supporter tweeted.
“Couldn’t fly a plane for Houston but now want to for the W??” an X user reacted.
Dan Zaksheske provided more context surrounding the report about White’s eligibility.
“OutKick asked the WNBA to explain why Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White are ineligible, given that the league’s CBA says only women may play but does not define ‘woman.’ The league didn’t respond,” Zaksheske wrote.
OutKick asked the WNBA to explain why Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White are ineligible, given that the league’s CBA says only women may play but does not define “woman.”
The league didn’t respond. https://t.co/oa7sAYmy4d
— Dan Zaksheske (@RealDanZak) August 24, 2026
Under the WNBA CBA (Article XIII, Section 1(a)), “Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” However, the agreement does not define “women” or spell out a self-identification rule, hormone criteria, or separate transgender policy.
That leaves questions about how the league would handle a case like White’s. For now, the WNBA has not publicly confirmed that White or Kanter have been ruled ineligible, leaving the reported decision and the controversy around it unresolved.
