WASHINGTON (TNND) — WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert sent a letter to teams on Friday addressing concerns over transgender athlete inclusion in the WNBA league. The statement comes after two former NBA players announced their intent to enter the next WNBA Draft.
“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, according to The Associated Press.
“I wanted to reach out to share how we are approaching these conversations at the league office and to thank those of you who have responded to questions from the media with thoughtfulness and professionalism.”
Engelbert then continued to call the debate “nuanced.”
“We recognize that this is a complex and nuanced topic, and we will continue to have important conversations with all of you and the Players Association in the weeks and months ahead,” Engelbert said in the memo. “We also plan to convene additional discussions and offer listening sessions for any team leaders who would like to participate. Your perspectives and feedback are invaluable, and I appreciate those who have already reached out to share their thoughts.”
The memo came on the same day that two former NBA pros, Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, said that they planned to declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft. The announcements became the top trending topic on social media, as sports fans mocked the WNBA for its policy, which people say clearly does not define who is allowed to play in the league based on genetic sex.
The WNBA players’ association also released a statement on social media Friday that emphasized diversity and inclusion while saying the group “will not be used as political pawns.”
“We embrace justice equity, diversity, and inclusion,” the statement read. “Those are the values that unite this Union and allow it to protect women’s sports while creating transformational change. Hate, abuse, and demonization of any person or group of people, including transgender people, only fuel fear, division, and harm. We will continue to have hard conversations. But we will not be used as political pawns.”
The WNBA has become the epicenter for the national debate on the stance of trans athletes in women’s sports in the weeks following Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham revealed her stance of not allowing trans athletes to participate in women’s sports in an ESPN interview in July.