Former NBA player Royce White plans to declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft — the second former pro to test the league’s policy on trans athletes.
White, 35, a Republican candidate for US Senate who only played three games in his short NBA career, made the announcement on Friday on the heels of former first round draft pick and Knicks center Enes Kanter Freedom’s declaration earlier in the day.
“I’m transgender. I’m a woman… I identify as sometimes identifying as a woman for purposes of… professional basketball,” White told Fox News
“I think I’d be unstoppable,” White continued. “But I’m a team-first guy. I’m a pass-first kind of player. I do the little things. I led my team in all five major stat categories at Iowa State University, so I do a little bit of everything. I’ll do whatever the coach needs me to do. I’ll do whatever the girls need me to do.”
“I think it’s only fair.”
Earlier in the day, Freedom said he reviewed the WNBA’s eligibility criteria , and insisted he met the requirements to play.
Article XIII of the WNBA’s 2026 collective bargaining agreement says, “Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.”
Yet the 409-page document never defines “women” or offer any policy on transgender eligibility, nor does it state whether self-identification alone is sufficient.
Freedom said he and his team had reviewed the WNBA’s eligibility criteria and its approach to self-identification and inclusion. He argued that if declaring an identity were sufficient, he met the requirements to compete.
The league could torpedo his challenge by simply being transparent about its stance on biological men playing in women’s sports, Royce said.
“I think the WNBA could come out and make a definitive statement about guys with a pair of balls playing in the Women’s Association,” he said, adding he will absolutely proceed unless the league clarifies the controversial issue.
And if he goes undrafted, he vowed to sue.
“I have to file a discrimination lawsuit, right? I mean, that’s, that’s ridiculous,” he told the outlet. “We’re gonna have to have a huge legal battle about discrimination if I can’t play.”
The 6’8” forward was drafted out of Iowa State University 16th overall in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets but never suited up for the team due to a generalized anxiety disorder triggered by a severe fear of flying.
White is on the ballot in Minnesota’s Aug. 11 Republican primary for Senate.
He won the GOP primary in 2024 but failed to unseat incumbent and failed presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar.
Identity issues in the league erupted last month after Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham blasted trans participation. “I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” she told ESPN , later defending her remarks as “common sense.”
“I think there is room for absolutely everyone here, and I think there is room to love everyone,” Cunningham said. “I truly think when you get people in the same room and you have conversations, you actually have a lot in common with a lot of people. And so I’m there to love.
The Women’s National Basketball Players Association refused to address eligibility, but issued a statement about the mushrooming controversy.
“We embrace justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion,” the union said. In the same statement, it added, “Hate, abuse, and demonization of any person or group of people, including transgender people, only fuel fear, division, and harm. We will continue to have hard conversations. But we will not be used as political pawns.”

source:  https://nypost.com/2026/08/08/sports/ex-nba-player-royce-white-to-declare-for-wnba-draft-as-transgender/