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Former NBA player Royce White has announced plans to declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft, following Enes Kanter Freedom’s similar announcement. The moves have sparked renewed debate over transgender athletes & eligibility in women’s sports. White’s declaration is expected to draw further attention to the WNBA’s eligibility rules, though the league has not confirmed whether either player would qualify.

Former NBA player Royce White has announced that he plans to declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft, joining Enes Kanter Freedom in a move that has added another layer to the ongoing debate surrounding eligibility and transgender athletes in women’s sports.

White, a former first-round NBA Draft pick, reportedly told Fox News that he would enter the 2027 WNBA Draft following Kanter Freedom’s announcement earlier Friday. Kanter Freedom, a former NBA center and No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, had declared himself eligible for the 2027 WNBA Draft, saying he believed he met the league’s current eligibility requirements.

Kanter Freedom’s announcement came amid an increasingly heated discussion about the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports. He argued that the WNBA’s stated approach to inclusion should be applied consistently and said his team had reviewed the league’s eligibility criteria before making the declaration. The WNBA has not publicly confirmed that he is eligible to enter or compete in the league.

White has now indicated that he intends to follow Kanter Freedom’s lead. The former Iowa State star played only a limited number of NBA games during his career but continued playing professionally in other leagues after leaving the NBA. His decision to announce a WNBA Draft entry adds another prominent former NBA name to the controversy.