Entertainment
Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White ineligible for WNBA draft, source says
An anonymous source familiar with the decision reported that the former NBA players are not permitted to enter next year's draft after declaring intentions to participate.
The short version
- Former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White are ineligible for the upcoming WNBA draft, according to an anonymous source familiar with the decision.
- Both players had previously stated an intention to enter the draft, claiming they identify as women.
- The official grounds for their ineligibility remain unknown as the WNBA has not publicly addressed the matter.
Key facts
- According to a source familiar with the decision, former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White are ineligible to enter the WNBA draft.[Associated Press]
- Freedom and White stated they identify as women when announcing their intentions to enter next year's draft.[Associated Press]
- The WNBA's collective bargaining agreement specifies that the league is restricted to women, but lacks detailed criteria regarding gender identity or birth sex.[Associated Press]
- Freedom was ejected from a Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever game after an exchange with Sky guard Natasha Cloud while wearing a shirt defining the word 'woman'.[Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- The specific rationale for declaring Freedom and White ineligible has not been disclosed by the source, and the WNBA has issued no public statement.[Associated Press]