{
  "id": 1244900,
  "title": "Gender Trolls Take On the WNBA",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/gender-trolls-take-on-the-wnba",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-16T10:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Atlantic",
    "slug": "the-atlantic",
    "url": "https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/08/enes-kanter-royce-white-wnba-trans/688300/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Two former NBA players are attempting to join the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), despite clear evidence that they are not female. Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White have been through male puberty and possess significant athletic advantages over female athletes. Freedom has even fathered children, while White has a history of conservative activism and legal threats against his ex-wife and son. The WNBA's collective-bargaining agreement currently only allows players who are women to join, but the league has not yet decided whether to grant Kanter Freedom and White entry. The players' union has condemned the \"hate, abuse, and demonization\" of transgender individuals, but there is little doubt that the two men are trolling the WNBA for attention. The controversy surrounding the WNBA has grown in recent years due to the success of exceptional players like Caitlin Clark, making it an appealing target for culture-war politicking. The league's official stance is that only players who are women are eligible to join, but the decision to reject Kanter Freedom and White without offering a formal agreement reflects their belief that they do not belong in women's sports.",
  "summary": "Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White obviously don’t belong in women’s basketball.",
  "key_points": [
    "Former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White seek to join WNBA.",
    "Both have male puberty markers and physical advantages over female athletes.",
    "WNBA's policy allows only biological women to participate, rejecting Kanter Freedom and White."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}