The WNBA is currently planning on holding discussions with its teams and players after several comments and statements have been made regarding the status of transgender players competing in the league.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has revealed to the league’s teams plans to address the ongoing controversy regarding two former NBA players announcing their intention to declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft in April.
In a memo sent to the league on 7 August, Engelbert told teams it will hold conversations with the women’s players association in the coming weeks and months, as well as hold meetings with team leaders around the topic of transgender players in the league.
“We recognise that this is a complex and nuanced topic, and we will continue to have important conversations with all of you and the Players Association in the weeks and months ahead,” said Engelbert in the memo obtained by the Associated Press.
“I wanted to reach out to share how we are approaching these conversations at the league office and to thank those of you who have responded to questions from the media with thoughtfulness and professionalism.”
The Kanter and White WNBA Draft declaration
In a post on X, former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom announced on 7 August they would be declaring for this year’s WNBA Draft. Royce White, another former NBA player turned US Senate campaigner, also announced similar intentions.
Kanter, who spent over 10 years in the NBA from 2011-2022, pointed out in an X post that because of the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) stating only women can play in the WNBA, they believe that due to the lack of self-identification guidelines in the CBA, this could make them eligible for the draft.
Kanter would later in the X post clarify this announcement as a means to take issue with the WNBA’s CBA and draft eligibility rules.
“I am definitely not here to mock, make fun of, or disrespect any community or personal choices,” said Kanter.
“I’m simply asking that the current rules be applied equally to everyone — the rules that represent the very values many WNBA players and coaches have publicly advocated for.
“My team and I are prepared to ensure these guidelines are applied equally, consistently, and without exception, and I look forward to the #WNBA honoring its stated principles.”
The larger transgender topic in the WNBA
Kanter and White’s satirical critiques of the WNBA’s CBA follows recent comments made by Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham on her opposition of allowing transgender players to compete in the WNBA.
Cunningham responded to a question posed to her during an interview with OutKick, in which she went against the idea of trans women competing in the WNBA in order to “protect young girls in a locker room”, as she believes “they “shouldn’t have to go against biological men”.
Her comments sparked anger from a Minnesota crowd during the Fever’s game against the Minnesota Lynx on 2 August, in which Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve wore a t-shirt that stated “Trans kids belong”.
There were also small rallies and protests against Cunningham in Seattle and Portland for the Fevers’ games against the Storm and Fire, respectively.
The WNBA Player’s Association has since criticised Cunningham’s comments in an Instagram post.
“Hate, abuse, and demonization of any group of people, including transgender people, only fuel fear, division, and harm,” said the statement.
“We will continue to have hard conversations. But we will not be used as political pawns. Support the Players. Support the Fans.”
