WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert inally gave a clear response to Republican lawmakers seeking a clearer definition of the league’s eligibility criteria, saying former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White can’t play in the league because both are men.
“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,” Engelbert wrote in an Oct. 16 letter reported by OutKick.
The response came after Indiana Rep. Marlin Stutzman and a few other Republicans in a September letter pushed the league to define what a woman is and explain why Freedom and White couldn’t join the WNBA draft in 2027.
Engelbert’s response reiterated the league’s eligibility standard but didn’t provide the more detailed definition lawmakers sought after lamenting a “concerning lack of will to enforce basic player and fan protections.”
Freedom subsequently reacted to Engelbert’s statement, asserting that the WNBA “still can’t define what a WOMAN is.”
“But they’re absolutely certain they know what a MAN is! How convenient!,” he posted Tuesday on X.
The exchange is the latest development in a debate that has followed the WNBA throughout its milestone 30th season, drawing in players, politicians and former NBA players as the league tries to keep the focus on the court and an exciting WNBA Finals.
The debate continues
Freedom, a former Utah Jazz first-round draft pick, announced his intention to enter the draft in August. White, a former NBA player and Republican political figure, subsequently made a similar announcement.
EXCLUSIVE: Former NBA first-round pick Royce White says he's declaring for the 2027 WNBA Draft, claiming he now identifies as transgender for the purpose of playing professional basketball.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 8, 2026
The 6-foot-8 former Houston Rockets draft pick follows fellow former NBA player Enes… pic.twitter.com/yUI8NdoiaX
Both used their declarations to challenge the league’s eligibility standards amid a broader national debate over transgender athletes in women’s sports.
Freedom has been particularly vocal about the issue, questioning the league’s authority to determine eligibility while arguing that its rules need to be more clearly defined.
“WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has declared that I am a man,” Freedom wrote Tuesday. “Who gave her the authority to decide who I am? Who gets to define my identity? And how can the WNBA determine who is a man without explaining what qualifies someone as a woman?”
He added, “Is the WNBA denying people the right to define their own gender identity?”
The WNBA has faced questions about the issue before. In August, a league spokesperson said there were “no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA” and criticized what it described as efforts to use the topic to demean or marginalize others.
Drama hits the arenas
Freedom’s effort to enter the league has also spilled into the stands.
In August, he attended a game between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Freedom said he had been invited, but he was ejected during the third quarter following a confrontation with Sky player Natasha Cloud.
The incident added another layer to a debate that had already drawn attention following Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham’s comments about protecting women and girls in sports.
It had become one of several off-court storylines competing with the basketball during a season that was supposed to be a milestone for the WNBA.
Freedom recently made another attempt to attend a game Wednesday, trying to go to Game 3 of the WNBA Finals where the Atlanta Dream were playing the Golden State Valkyries.
The Dream and State Farm Arena arranged for Freedom to watch from a private suite after he expressed concerns about his personal safety. The arrangement included additional security, with a state police officer assigned to him.
Atlanta Dream statement on Enes Kanter Freedom's Game 3 attendance. pic.twitter.com/PL7VXmO2yf
— Brian Hamilton (@_Brian_Hamilton) October 21, 2026
Freedom, however, wanted to sit in the seat he had purchased. He refused to use the suite and left the arena, later posting on X that he had been kicked out again.
Freedom explained that he decided to attend the Finals because of resurfaced comments from Valkyries star Gabby Williams, who stated in August that she would be open to having a transgender athlete as a teammate or opponent.
“I would welcome a trans athlete on my team or against my team. Anytime,” Williams said in an interview.
Williams described transgender rights as an important issue for LGBTQ+ players and argued that the debate has become another way to target transgender people.
The WNBA has not publicly identified any transgender players currently competing in the league.
The bigger story
The debate over eligibility and the recent Freedom drama has become another distraction during a WNBA Finals that has plenty of compelling storylines of its own. Both teams are chasing the first championship in franchise history, while young stars like Angel Reese are continuing to grow before fans’ eyes. With so much on the line, the basketball deserves to be the biggest story.
The competing views have made eligibility a recurring subject of discussion even as the league continues to grow its audience and expand its footprint.
Engelbert, who announced in September that she plans to retire at the end of the season, is also responding to the latest questions during the final months of her tenure.
Her letter provides a direct answer about Freedom and White’s eligibility, but the broader question of how the WNBA defines its rules remains part of a debate that has extended well beyond the two former NBA players.