NEW YORK (AP) — Former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White are not eligible for the WNBA draft, a person familiar with the decision said Monday.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the situation. The person did not elaborate on the reasons for declaring the two men ineligible.Freedom and White have declared their intention to enter next year’s draft, but the WNBA has not publicly addressed their eligibility.The WNBA has been the subject of recent debates on whether transgender women — people assigned male at birth who transition to align with their gender identity — should be allowed to participate in the league. There has never been such a player in the WNBA.Although the league’s collective bargaining agreement says the WNBA is restricted to women, it contains no more specific language about gender identity or sex assigned at birth. When they announced their intention to enter the draft, Freedom and White said they identified as women.
The 6-foot-10, 250-pound Freedom played 11 seasons in the NBA. White played in three NBA games.Freedom was ejected from Sunday night’s Indiana-Chicago game after he was confronted by Sky guard Natasha Cloud late in the third quarter.
