Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White Are Not Eligible for the WNBA Draft, AP Source Says

Key Points:

• Former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White have been declared ineligible for the upcoming WNBA draft, though the league has not publicly explained the reasons.
• Both players, who identify as women, announced their intention to enter the draft amid ongoing debates about transgender women’s participation in the WNBA, a league limited to women but without explicit rules on gender identity.
• Enes Kanter Freedom, who played 11 NBA seasons, was ejected from a recent Indiana Fever game after a confrontation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud, during which he wore a shirt stating "WOMAN noun. adult human female."
• The incident highlighted tensions within the league regarding transgender participation, with some players, including Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, expressing opposition to transgender women competing in women’s sports.
• The WNBA continues to face scrutiny and debate over its policies on gender identity as it navigates these complex issues without clear guidelines in its collective bargaining agreement.