Royce White Says He’ll Declare for 2027 WNBA Draft in Challenge to Transgender Eligibility Rules

Former NBA first-round pick and Republican Senate candidate Royce White says he plans to declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft, announcing that he identifies as transgender for the purpose of professional basketball as part of an apparent challenge to the league’s eligibility rules.

White, 35, made the announcement Friday shortly after former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom announced a similar plan. The two former NBA players are attempting to force the WNBA to address exactly how its eligibility rules apply to transgender athletes.

White said he identifies as a woman when it comes to professional basketball and intends to enter next year’s draft. He later wrote on social media that he identifies as a “sometimes identifying transgender woman,” making clear that the announcement is tied to the ongoing political debate surrounding biological sex and women’s sports.

The former Houston Rockets draft pick also predicted that he would dominate if permitted to compete in the WNBA. White stands 6-foot-8 and was selected 16th overall in the 2012 NBA Draft before appearing briefly with the Sacramento Kings and later playing professionally outside the NBA.

White said he is prepared to pursue legal action if the WNBA refuses to allow him to participate. His argument centers on the league’s current collective bargaining agreement, which states that only women are eligible to play but does not provide a detailed definition of “woman” or establish a specific transgender eligibility standard.

The announcement followed Enes Kanter Freedom’s decision earlier Friday to declare for the same draft. Both former NBA players appear to be using their declarations to challenge the implications of allowing gender identity to determine eligibility in women’s professional sports rather than suggesting they have undergone conventional athletic transitions into women’s basketball.

The situation puts renewed attention on the WNBA as debate over transgender participation in women’s sports continues across the country. The league could now face pressure to clarify its rules before the 2027 draft and establish more specific standards governing who is eligible to compete.

White’s announcement also comes while he is pursuing the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Minnesota. His latest move combines two areas where he has maintained a public profile, professional basketball and conservative politics, while placing him directly in the middle of the national fight over transgender athletes.

Whether White ever actually appears on a WNBA draft list remains uncertain. But his stated intention, alongside Kanter Freedom’s nearly identical move, is already forcing a larger question into the spotlight: exactly how the WNBA defines eligibility for women’s professional basketball.