Enes Kanter Freedom played 11 seasons in the NBA The WNBA is still in the midst of its 2026 season and yet it is next year's Draft for North America's top women's basketball league that is dominating the headlines. Because some former men's NBA players have declared they will enter for selection - citing the current eligibility guidelines, or lack of, for transgender women players. "I'm officially declaring myself a WNBA prospect," said Enes Kanter Freedom, who played 11 seasons in the NBA. It is the latest development in a story ignited by a comment made by Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham, who said she wanted to protect young girls "who shouldn't have to go against biological men" in sport. Her words have instigated protests - albeit not grand in scale - on both sides of the argument, and once again catapulted the debate around transgender women in sport into the spotlight. The Indiana Fever guard said she had received criticism from people who believed she "hated" transgender people, something she denied.
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On player eligibility, the CBA states: "Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA." The WNBA has yet to comment publicly on the row since Cunningham's comments but league commissioner Cathy Engelbert reportedly sent a memo to teams last week in which she said the matter would be discussed at an upcoming pre-arranged meeting with team presidents.
