I am definitely not here to mock, make fun of, or disrespect any community or personal choices. I’m simply asking that the current rules be applied equally to everyone.” — Ennis Kanter Freedom, retired NBA player
Hi Friends, and welcome new subscribers! I signed up to compete in table tennis (ping pong’s grownup name) in the Delaware Senior Games to see if I can qualify for 2027 Nationals in a second sport, after my 2025 successes in cornhole. Trusting muscle memory from, um, high school. Another month to prepare. Advice?
The WNBA did not listen to Sophie Cunningham, who stated what should be obvious to all: Women deserve female-only basketball courts, showers, and toilets.
The WNBA did not listen to thousands of feminists, female athletes, protesters, and parents who, for years now, have been pleading with sports organizations to draw a clear boundary to keep all males out.
Now (at last?) the WNBA is listening to two former NBA players who are publicly shaming the league via satiric videos.
Brief background: As I described last week, when the Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham spoke out against “biological men” in women’s sports and locker rooms, her own coach (Stephanie White); another WNBA coach (Cheryl Reeve); and Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton made fools of themselves by arguing with Cunningham and publicly berating two girls who held “We Love Sophie” signs.
NBA Players Enter the WNBA Draft
Now, retired NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White chose a new approach to force the WNBA’s hand: satire. In video clips released on Friday, the men – one six-foot-ten and one six-foot-eight — declared themselves eligible for the 2027 WNBA draft.
“I am definitely not here to mock, make fun of, or disrespect any community or personal choices. I’m simply asking that the current rules be applied equally to everyone. I look forward to the WNBA honoring its stated principles,” said Kanter Freedom.
“I am going to pursue a career in the WNBA,” added White in his own announcement. “I identify as a trans woman who only identifies that way sometimes. What criteria must I meet? Is a wig enough? Do I have to shave my beard? I would like to know the details of those regulations, and I hope they can defend them in court.
“I’m 260 pounds, 265 pounds, 6-foot-8,” added White, who later referred to his “feminine stage” and appeared in a wig. “I think I had the third-largest hands in the modern NBA Draft Combine. So, yeah, I’m sure the women’s basketball is going to [be] even easier to palm, which is a huge advantage.”
Women’s basketballs are one ounce lighter and one inch smaller because women have smaller hands. Women’s three-point shooting arc is about 18 inches closer to the hoop because women have less strength, especially in the shoulders and arms.
Women are “going to have nightmares, and they should,” added White. “I really feel like I’m going to be dominant.”
Players Association Doubles Down
The Women's National Basketball Players Association immediately released a defensive statement, affirming their commitment to “inclusion” while insisting that the players not be “used as political pawns."
WNBA Convenes Urgent Meeting
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced an upcoming meeting this week of presidents and general managers to discuss the issue of “transgender players.” She means men. The WNBA already had a female player, Layshia Clarendon, who was lauded as a trailblazer: the WNBA’s first “trans and nonbinary” athlete. No problem.
The only question is whether males can play in the WNBA, too.
The WNBA’s 2026 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) states, “Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” Seems clear.
But because the very definition of woman has been corrupted by all things trans, “women” could be interpreted to include men who say they’re women. And the players themselves — who lean heavily pro-trans — will need to agree per the terms of the CBA. Sponsors (meaning money; see below) will also play a role.
How Will This Get Resolved?
The WNBA is caught between the rock of common sense and the hard place of LGBTQ advocacy, which is all about trans now. The WNBA even receives financial support from jersey sponsors such as Kaiser Permanente, Eli Lilly, and UCLA Health, who “are or have been the most prolific providers of gender transition treatment,” as noted by astute reporter Beverley Talbott in today’s excellent article, “Dear WNBA, It’s Safe to Make Sense Now.”
Will the league welcome former NBA stars or Julie Tétart, the trans-identified man who is dominating the French Ligue 2?
No. Its leaders are spouting “inclusion” nonsense, but they’re not idiots.
Predictions:
The WNBA will try to placate pro-trans players, fans, and sponsors with statements “in support of the LGBTQ community.” Backlash and threats will ensue.
The WNBA will gaslight with, “Of course ‘women’ means biological women” in their Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The WNBA will drag its big feet on sex testing, despite the trend in that direction and the Women’s Tennis Association’s recent decision to proceed, to avoid outing any current players who might be males with Differences of Sexual Development. (A whole other story.)
And a Final Lament
While I admire the former NBA players’ creative satire and appreciate their advocacy, I can’t help but note that it took two male voices to force the WNBA to rethink its policy.
Why favor male voices over women’s?
Because when men speak, women listen. Unfortunate, but true.
Thoughts? I’m always curious. With love and courage,
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A lifelong athlete, feminist, and writer, Mariah Burton Nelson is the author of hundreds of articles and seven nonfiction books, including The Stronger Women Get, The More Men Love Football — and, since 2024, this Stronger Women column.
Well done Mariah! And your point about the WNBA’s smaller balls - accommodating womens smaller hands - was well taken! See all the ways sport accommodates women in sport:
https://strongerwomen.substack.com/p/27-more-reasons-males-dont-belong?r=109fk&utm_medium=ios
Great article! Since the NBA subsidizes the WNBA to the tune of about $15 Million a year and they own 42% of the league, it's time they step up and demand that if they want a W in front of their title, all players will take an SRY gene test and only XX are eligible to play. They can deal with their DSD athletes offline. If they want to start a combined league, they can. Maybe it can be for entertainment like the Globetrotters