Former NBA player Royce White is continuing his campaign in the ongoing WNBA debate as much as he is relentlessly campaigning for the Minnesota U.S. Senate. After his and former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom’s recent declarations for the WNBA draft (to challenge the undefined eligibility criteria), there was a heated debate.

But White isn’t done yet. In response to an online comment, he pushed back against critics questioning the validity of his self-identification as a transgender woman for professional basketball purposes.

“Don’t tell me how to be a Black woman! Taking hormones are optional,” White posted in response via X. “The idea that a Trans woman has to subject herself to BIG PHARMA, is just another way for cis normative people to turn us into a commodity. I’m an ALL NATURAL Black trans lesbian with a penil- aesthetic.”

White concluded his remarks by reasserting his current political campaign platform for Senate, adding the hashtags “Royce White for U.S. Senate MN 2026” and “WNBA #LetHerPlay.”

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Here’s what happened: It all started when a social media user challenged White to undergo hormonal and surgical transitions, calling anything less “cis male COWARDICE.”

White rejected the assertion that medical modification is required to validate transgender status.

White had also gone back and forth with another NBA player, Robin Lopez, who slammed his declaration. The exchange highlights White’s continued position, where he defends his eligibility under existing rules.

Royce White’s comments come after WNBA’s task force move

The biggest discourse in basketball right now began after Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham voiced against transgender athlete participation in the WNBA. But the debate traces back to a broader administrative challenge facing the WNBA.

The league’s current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) explicitly dictates that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” However, the governing framework lacks clear definitions regarding gender identity, sex assigned at birth, or specific baseline hormone thresholds, leaving the formal criteria open to legal and athletic interpretation.

This regulatory grey area has been heavily leveraged by White and fellow former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom, both of whom have publicly declared their intentions to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft.

White recently argued in an interview that the league’s inability to define the parameters of its own name opens the door for unconventional eligibility claims. In his commentary, White went as far as suggesting that more NBA players like LeBron James could theoretically declare eligibility upon completing their NBA careers if the league’s guidelines remain purely self-identifying.

“It’s just astounding that the WNBA can’t define the W in the name,” he said last week. “LeBron James, you know, after, after he expires in the NBA, maybe he wakes up one day and realizes he’s a woman as well! Who could argue that that wouldn’t make the women’s game better?”

The Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) declared that its members would not be utilized as political pawns in broader cultural disputes after White and Freedom’s declarations.

In response to the mounting public scrutiny, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert distributed an official memo to franchises confirming that the league is forming an executive task force consisting of team presidents and general managers. The task force is expected to review the league’s policy on player eligibility.

While White continues to fuel this debate, he is running for the Minnesota Senate.

An opinion turned into a political and cultural issue

In an interview with ESPN last month, Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham spoke about protecting women’s sports.

“I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” she said.

However, her comments received a lot of support, Cunningham also got some backlash. For instance, Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve was quite unhappy with Cunningham’s statement.

The Golden State Valkyries’ Gabby Williams also said she would welcome transgender athletes on her team. But after former NBA players like Enes Kanter and White mentioned they’d declare for the WNBA draft and mocked the league’s CBA for not having clear definitions for ‘woman’, the whole discussion has heated up.