Royce White vows legal fight after WNBA declares him ineligible

Clear Facts

• WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told Congress that Royce White and Enes Kanter Freedom are men and therefore ineligible to play in the league.
• White says he will pursue every legal avenue to hold the WNBA to its own eligibility standards.
• Republican lawmakers asked the league to define “women” under its collective bargaining agreement, and Engelbert did not provide a definition.

Former NBA player Royce White is pushing back against the WNBA after Commissioner Cathy Engelbert informed Congress that he and Enes Kanter Freedom are ineligible to play because they are men.

White told OutKick that Engelbert’s letter does not settle the question of who qualifies for the women’s league.

“We plan to explore every legal avenue possible to hold the WNBA and NBA community to their stated standards and values,” White said.

Asked whether the commissioner’s response had triggered a discrimination lawsuit, White declined to discuss details or announce any filing timetable.

The disagreement stems from White’s and Freedom’s announced intent to enter the 2027 WNBA draft while declaring they identify as women.

In an October 16 letter to Republican members of Congress, Engelbert wrote, “With respect to your questions regarding eligibility, only women are eligible to play in the WNBA and the individuals you cite in your letter are both men.”

The lawmakers, led by Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana, had asked how the league defines “women” under its collective bargaining agreement and why the two former NBA players were ruled out.

Engelbert’s reply did not define the term “women” or explain the criteria used to classify White and Freedom as men.

“No, we’re not letting them off that easy,” White said of the commissioner’s statement.

“She has to define, and the WNBA has to define, what a man and a woman is and why.”

White also called on NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to address the matter.

White described himself as a longtime fan of women’s basketball who grew up watching female relatives compete.

“I’m a fan of the WNBA. I think the women have come a long way,” White said. “I’d love to see it not as politicized as it is, because I think it takes away from the beauty of the game.”

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