White hasn’t filed a lawsuit or provided a timeline. But he made clear that the commissioner’s written rejection wasn’t enough to end his campaign.
“No, we’re not letting them off that easy,” White said. “She has to define, and the WNBA has to define, what a man and a woman is and why.”
Engelbert’s response came in an Oct. 16 letter to five Republican lawmakers who questioned the league’s eligibility requirements after White and Freedom announced their intentions to enter the draft while claiming to identify as women.
“With respect to your questions regarding eligibility, only women are eligible to play in the WNBA, and the individuals you cite in your letter are both men,” Engelbert wrote.
White also wants NBA Commissioner Adam Silver involved.
But White’s public advocacy comes with a documented history of abuse.
In February, Hennepin County Judge Kristen Marttila found White liable for abusing his ex-wife and teenage son. The civil ruling barred him from contacting his ex-wife for 50 years and his son for two years.
The judge found that White repeatedly slapped, grabbed, and pulled his ex-wife’s hair, leaving injuries. She also found that he chased his son during basketball practice, grabbed him by the neck and threw him into a metal ball rack.
Marttila described his ex-wife’s testimony as “entirely credible.” White has denied the abuse and appealed the ruling.
Despite the court’s findings, White continues to frame his WNBA campaign around protecting women. He also insists he’s a fan of the league.
“I’d love to see it not as politicized as it is, because I think it takes away from the beauty of the game,” White told Fox News.
He added that he’s been watching the WNBA Finals and is “scoping the competition.”