The task force met but confirmed that they did not arrive on any eligibility rules, as per ESPN. A league spokesperson said: "There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean and marginalize others."
Two retired NBA players have taken it upon themselves to make a point about transgender participation in women's basketball by declaring themselves for the 2027 WNBA Draft.
“I identify as sometimes identifying as a woman”
Enes Kanter Freedom, a former NBA center, and Royce White, a retired NBA power forward, have both declared for the Draft. Freedom was the first to publicize his declaration, followed by White, who said: "I'm transgender. I'm a woman. I identify as sometimes identifying as a woman for the purpose of basketball, professional basketball."
Both men have been vocal in their opposition to transgender women competing in professional sports leagues. The pair's protest follows a controversial statement from Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham, who last month stated that she does not support trans women playing in the league.
Freedom, 34, said in a social media video that his team had reviewed the WNBA's eligibility framework and believe its standards should be applied consistently. When he posted the declaration on August 7, his market to be drafted in the 2027 WNBA draft shot up to 31% on Polymarket.
That price has since fallen to 7% at the time of writing, where it seems to have settled for the time being. The price fell around the same time as ESPN reported that WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert sent a memo to her teams to confirm a task force would meet next week to tackle the issue head on.
The Women's National Basketball Players Association also issued a statement, asserting that it would not be used as "political pawns" in relation to the transgender issue.
The next WNBA draft will take place in April 2027.