Royce White exploring legal avenues after WNBA tells Congress he is ineligible to play

Former NBA player Royce White says he plans to explore legal avenues against the WNBA after Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told Congress that he and Enes Kanter Freedom are ineligible to play because they are men.

White told OutKick that Engelberts response does not resolve his challenge to the leagues eligibility standards, calling on the WNBA to explain how it defines men and women.

"We plan to explore every legal avenue possible to hold the WNBA and NBA community to their stated standards and values," White said.

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Asked whether Engelberts letter had officially triggered a previously discussed discrimination lawsuit, White said he could not discuss particulars. He did not announce a filing or provide a timetable for taking legal action.

The dispute centers on Whites and Freedoms efforts to enter the 2027 WNBA draft after declaring that they identify as women. During the interview, White agreed when asked whether his declaration was "for basketball purposes."

In an Oct. 16 letter responding to Republican lawmakers, Engelbert stated the leagues position directly.

"With respect to your questions regarding eligibility, only women are eligible to play in the WNBA and the individuals you cite in your letter are both men," Engelbert wrote.

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The response followed a Sept. 17 inquiry from Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., and four Republican colleagues asking how the WNBA defines "women" under its collective bargaining agreement and why White and Freedom had been deemed ineligible. The lawmakers requested answers by Oct. 16.

The agreement states that "only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA," but does not specify language concerning gender identity or sex assigned at birth, Front Office Sports reported in August.

Engelberts response did not supply a definition of "women" or explain the criteria used to classify White and Freedom as men.

White said that distinction remains central to his challenge.

"No, were not letting them off that easy," he said when asked whether Engelberts statement represented a step in the right direction.

"She has to define, and the WNBA has to define, what a man and a woman is and why."

White also called for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to address the dispute.

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"Id like Adam Silver and the NBA to weigh in," he said.

The league had already rejected the two former NBA players eligibility through statements attributed to league sources in August.