Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White are not eligible for the WNBA draft, AP source says

NEW YORK (AP) – Former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White are not eligible for the WNBA draft, a person familiar with the decision remarked Monday.

Key points

• The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity since of the sensitive nature of the situation.
• Freedom and White have declared their intention to enter next year's draft, but the WNBA has not publicly addressed their eligibility.
• Although the league's collective bargaining agreement notes the WNBA is restricted to women, it contains no more specific language concerning gender identity or sex assigned at birth.
• There has never been such a player in the WNBA.

For context, the person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity since of the sensitive nature of the situation. The person did not elaborate on the reasons for declaring the two men ineligible.

For context, the WNBA has been the subject of recent debates on whether transgender women – individuals assigned male at birth who transition to align with their gender identity – should be allowed to participate in the league. There has never been such a player in the WNBA.

Although the league's collective bargaining agreement notes the WNBA is restricted to women, it contains no more specific language concerning gender identity or sex assigned at birth. When they confirmed their intention to enter the draft, Freedom and White stated they identified as women.

In short, enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White are not eligible for the WNBA is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.