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How have we gotten to where we are today, where people need to define and explain in detail what constitutes gender? Historically, many athletic competitions were designed for men, and women had few opportunities to participate. Creating women's teams and competitions gave female athletes opportunities that otherwise might not have existed. Now, suddenly, biological males think that because they identify as females, they should be able to join and compete in women’s sports. The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is facing such a challenge now as two former NBA biological males are demanding to enter the WNBA 2027 draft.
The Argument
Two NBA veterans, Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, have decided they identify as female and want to play for the WNBA. They were denied because they are men and this is a women’s league. Last month, Congressman Marlin Strutzman (R-IN) sent a letter to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, asking, “If the WNBA has no definition of ‘women’ why were Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White deemed ineligible to join the WNBA?”
The fact that a woman must be defined is outrageous enough; nevertheless, the commissioner replied, “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.”
That should have been the end of it, but it isn’t. Freedom and White are still fighting and plan to be part of the 2027 draft. Nevertheless, Strutzman took this as a win and wrote in a press release: “This is the WNBA admitting that despite both Freedom and White declaring themselves women, the league does not honor their chosen gender. By announcing that Freedom and White are ‘both men,’ the WNBA has taken a step towards deciding what a woman could be referring to in their bylaws but still fall dramatically short of a true definition.”
Freedom answered what he considers a non-answer and told OutKick: "Cathy Engelbert cannot clearly define what a woman is, but she's absolutely certain that I'm a man. I mean, how does that make sense? Who gets to decide? Who has the authority to determine whether someone is a woman?"
Most people would say the answer to that is: biology. He added, “So if the league is still working through these questions, how can its commissioner be so certain about my eligibility without explaining the standards that she's applying?”
Meet the Contenders
Enes Kanter Freedom is a Turkish and American former basketball player who played 11 seasons in the association. He was raised in Turkey and moved to the US as a teenager. When he became a citizen, he had his last name changed to “Freedom” to represent what he says he has fought his entire life to have. He was selected third overall in the 2011 draft, playing for various teams including the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, averaging 11.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
Enter Royce White was selected 16th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2012 NBA Draft, but he played just three regular season games with the Sacramento Kings in 2013 for a total of 56 seconds of floor time. His performance and ability to play were reportedly impacted by disputes over his generalized anxiety disorder, fear of flying, and some mental health issues.
White is also listed on BallotPedia as being registered and running in the 2028 presidential election in the Republican Party. He announced his candidacy on August 12 of this year. He has a background in politics, including a run for Minnesota’s open US Senate seat vacated by Tina Smith, in which he finished third, and won the endorsement of the Minnesota Republican Party in 2024 but lost to incumbent Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar. He sharpened his political teeth by running against Rep. Ilhan Omar, finishing second in the Republican primary. He was also a prominent organizer in the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd.
This activist and potential presidential candidate took to Instagram and wrote: “I am Diversity personified. I am Black, I am White, I am Latinx… Womanhood has never moved with such style, grace and elegance. Hey WNBA, you want dance let’s dance! You people are bigoted, nazi, transphobic, cis-normative, heterocentric, racists! This Is A GENOCIDE.” He added:
“Who is this White cis woman Cathy Engelbert to deny my Trans identity? Who is she to deny my existence? Who is she to play gatekeeper to womanhood? Her recent comments referring to me as a man when I’ve made it known my preferred pronouns are Pay/Me/Handsome, is intentionally harmful and spewing hate!”
Why Does It Matter?
There’s a reason why girls and women have their own sports. For much of American history, girls and women were discouraged from participating in competitive sports, excluded from athletic programs, and told that strenuous physical activity was inappropriate for females. The fight wasn't simply about being allowed to play basketball or run track. It was about having the same opportunities as men to compete, develop athletic abilities, earn recognition, and potentially build careers in sports.
One of the biggest victories came in 1972 with the passage of Title IX, a federal civil rights law that prohibited sex discrimination in federally funded education programs. Although the law wasn't written specifically for athletics, it helped transform opportunities for girls and women in school and college sports.
There are also important physical reasons for maintaining separate male and female competitive categories, particularly after puberty. On average, males develop greater muscle mass, strength, power, and cardiovascular capacity, which can create significant advantages in sports that depend on speed, strength, endurance, or physical contact.
To put that into perspective, WNBA female players range from 5’6” for shorter guards to tall centers who may reach up to 6’7”, and the average player weighs close to 169 pounds. Freedom is 6’10” and weighs 250 pounds, while White is 6’8” and weighs 260 pounds.
Most WNBA players retire between their early 30s and 40s, with an average retirement age typically falling between 32 and 37 years old. Freedom is 34 years old, and White is 35, already within retirement age for the league.
Perhaps the biggest irony in all of this is that women spent decades fighting for the opportunity to compete in their own leagues, only to find themselves in a position where those leagues are once again being challenged by men. The fact that the WNBA is now being pressured to provide a formal definition of what constitutes a woman adds another layer of absurdity to the controversy. Whether Freedom and White are serious about joining the WNBA or simply trying to make a political point, they’re certainly putting themselves in the spotlight again. Considering how hard women fought to earn their place in professional sports, having to defend that place all over again seems like a rather unfortunate and dangerous step backward.
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