WNBA commissioner tells lawmakers Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White are ineligible as men

The WNBA has told members of Congress that former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White cannot play in the league. Its reason is that both of them are men.

The commissioner's letter

Commissioner Cathy Engelbert put that position in writing on October 16 in a letter to Republican lawmakers. Engelbert is leaving the job when the year ends.

Her letter said the two men do not qualify. It did not spell out how the league defines a woman.

The league's 2026 labor deal says only players who are women can play in the WNBA. Freedom and White had both said they would test that rule by identifying as women so they could suit up.

Reaction in Washington

Indiana Rep. Marlin Stutzman hailed the letter as a win. He said it was a first step toward defining a woman in sports. In his view, calling the pair men shows that identifying as a woman does not change biology.

Freedom pushes back

Freedom said he was stunned. He said the league will not define a woman even though it is completely certain he is a man.

The letter lands in the middle of the WNBA Finals. The Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries are tied at one game apiece.