{
  "id": 3156638,
  "title": "Ex-NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom, Royce White not eligible to play in WNBA",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/ex-nba-players-enes-kanter-freedom-royce-white-not-eligible-to-play",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-25T01:02:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ex-nba-players-enes-kanter-010236559.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White are ineligible to participate in the WNBA draft after they publicly declared themselves as women, according to a sources within the league. The WNBA, which only permits individuals who identify as women, dismissed the declarations as \"manufactured controversy\" and attempts to incite division. Kanter Freedom, the third overall pick by the Utah Jazz in the 2011 NBA draft, and White, the 16th pick by the Houston Rockets in 2012, made their transgender identities known on August 7, sparking debate about transgender athletes in women's sports. The collective bargaining agreement of the WNBA stipulates that only women are eligible to play in the league. There is no established policy addressing the eligibility of transgender or intersex athletes in the WNBA. The league has not announced any plans to prevent Kanter Freedom from attending future games, as his actions during a recent game were resolved through security intervention.",
  "summary": "Former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White are not eligible to enter the WNBA draft, a person with direct knowledge told USA TODAY Sports.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Natasha Cloud met with WNBA security after Enes Kanter Freedom confrontation",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/natasha-cloud-met-with-wnba-security-after-enes-kanter-freedom",
        "published": "2026-08-24T04:12:06.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Front Office Sports",
        "title": "Enes Kanter Freedom, Royce White Not Eligible to Play in WNBA",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/enes-kanter-freedom-royce-white-not-eligible-to-play-in-wnba",
        "published": "2026-08-24T18:23:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Former NBA players Kanter Freedom, White not eligible for WNBA, sources say",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/former-nba-players-kanter-freedom-white-not-eligible-for-wnba-sources",
        "published": "2026-08-24T21:20:50.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}