Former NBA First-Rounder Declares He’s a “Woman” for a Shot at WNBA Roster Spot [WATCH]

Former NBA player Royce White plans to declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft, claiming he now identifies as transgender as he challenges the league’s eligibility language.

He is the second former professional player to raise the issue.

White, 35, is also a Republican candidate for US Senate.

His announcement came Friday, shortly after former first-round draft pick and Knicks center Enes Kanter Freedom made his own declaration earlier in the day.

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“I’m transgender. I’m a woman… I identify as sometimes identifying as a woman for purposes of… professional basketball,” White told Fox News.

White said he believed he would be unstoppable while describing himself as a player willing to contribute wherever needed.

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He also pointed to having led his team in all five major statistical categories at Iowa State University.

Freedom said he had examined the WNBA’s eligibility criteria and maintained that he met its requirements.

He and his team also reviewed the league’s approach to self-identification and inclusion.

The question centers on Article XIII of the WNBA’s 2026 collective bargaining agreement.

That section says, “Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.”

However, the collective bargaining agreement runs 409 pages and does not define the word women.

It also does not provide a policy on transgender eligibility or state whether self-identification alone is enough.

Freedom argued that if declaring an identity was sufficient under the league’s standards, then he qualified to compete.

His announcement and White’s subsequent declaration put fresh attention on the eligibility language.

White said the WNBA could end his challenge by publicly clarifying its position on biological men competing in women’s sports.

He insisted he would proceed unless the league directly addressed the controversial issue.

“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,” White said.

White also raised the prospect of taking the dispute to court if he is not permitted to play.

“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.”

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The 6’8” forward was selected out of Iowa State University with the 16th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.

The Houston Rockets drafted him, but he never suited up for the organization because of a generalized anxiety disorder triggered by a severe fear of flying.

White ultimately appeared in only three games during his short NBA career.

He is now on the ballot in Minnesota’s Aug. 11 Republican primary for Senate.

His current campaign follows another Senate run in 2024.

White won the GOP primary that year but failed to unseat incumbent and failed presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar.

The dispute comes after Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham addressed transgender participation last month.

“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.

Cunningham later defended those remarks as “common sense.”

She also said there was room to love everyone and suggested that people often find common ground when they meet and have conversations.

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The Women’s National Basketball Players Association declined to address the eligibility question directly but released a statement as the controversy grew.

“We embrace justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion,” the union said.

The union also stated, “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.”

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