WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has sent a memo to team leaders addressing the growing debate around transgender athlete participation in women’s basketball. The league has not announced a new policy, but Engelbert said the issue will receive further attention at a previously scheduled meeting of team presidents and general managers.
“I know many of you have received questions in recent weeks regarding transgender athlete participation in women’s basketball, and I expect this topic will continue to receive significant attention,” Engelbert wrote in the memo. She thanked team officials who have addressed media questions “with thoughtfulness and professionalism.”
The debate gained fresh attention after Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham voiced support last month for barring transgender girls and women from girls’ and women’s sports. Her remarks sparked small protests in Seattle and Portland during Fever road games, while conservative groups also planned a rally supporting Cunningham before Indiana’s game in Chicago.
This comes in the wake of former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White identifying as women and announcing they are eligible for the WNBA.
Officially official, @WNBA
I have officially declared for the 2027 #WNBA Draft.
Rules are rules!#LetFreedomPlay pic.twitter.com/d1iXjPxqSY
— Enes Kanter FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) August 10, 2026
Engelbert said the league will approach the matter “thoughtfully, respectfully, and in alignment with the longstanding values of our league.” She added that the WNBA must also preserve the integrity of the game and ensure fair competition.
The league’s current collective bargaining agreement says that only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA. It does not provide additional language specifically defining gender identity or sex assigned at birth, and any eligibility changes would have to be collectively bargained with the players’ union.
The Women’s National Basketball Players Association issued its own statement emphasizing diversity and inclusion. The union said it would continue having difficult conversations but “will not be used as political pawns.”
🚨 LMAO! Former NBA player Royce White after filing for the WNBA: "When you become trans, they give you a $19.99 coupon from transgender university of America. You get one wig and a bone color Stanley cup. That's your starter kit for the trans life."
😭😭
The WNBA is being… pic.twitter.com/xaRBTdijvq
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 10, 2026
“We embrace justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion,” the union said. “Hate, abuse, and demonization of any person or group of people, including transgender people, only fuel fear, division, and harm.”
Some players and coaches have publicly supported transgender athletes, including Seattle Storm center Stefanie Dolson and Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve. “We need to protect trans kids,” Reeve said Aug. 1. “To me, it’s a human rights issue. Every kid has a right to sports.”
The upcoming task-force meeting is expected to provide the league’s first substantive internal forum on the subject. For now, no eligibility rules have changed, and the WNBA says further talks with team leaders and the players’ union will continue in the weeks and months ahead.