WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in a memo on Friday said that the league will continue discussing the issue of transgender participation. The memo said that the “topic will be discussed further by a task force of team presidents and general managers at a previously scheduled meeting next week.” Engelbert said, “Our player eligibility rules, unlike the eligibility rules of some other leagues and governing bodies, are collectively bargained.” The league’s CBA “states that ‘only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA,’ but does not include any more specific language about gender identity or sex assigned at birth.” Former NBAers Enes Kanter and Royce White have “declared themselves eligible for the WNBA draft, saying they identify as women” (AP, 8/8).
The WNBPA “denounced ‘hate, abuse, and demonization’ of the transgender community” in a statement Friday. The statement “did not reference” Fever G Sophie Cunningham “by name or weigh in on whether trans people should be able to compete freely, but stated broadly that the union exists to ‘protect women’s sports while creating transformational change’” (THE ATHLETIC, 8/7).
Sky G DiJonai Carrington was assessed a flagrant 2 and ejected after a hard foul across the face and neck area of Cunningham during the first quarter of the Fever’s 90-86 win Saturday afternoon. After the game, Carrington, who scored eight points in the first quarter, posted on her Threads account: “WHITE PRIVILEGE @indianafever.” Cunningham said, “This has nothing to do with race. Last year, I did the same thing and I got kicked out. And I deserved to be kicked out. There’s no reason even to play that card” (ESPN.com, 8/9).