Oh Christ, Some Transphobic Ex-NBA Players Are Gonna Try To Do 'Lady Ballers' IRL
Guess they have nothing better to do.
Once upon a time, Ben Shapiro dreamed of doing a documentary about cisgender men pretending to be trans for the purpose of joining women’s sports teams. The one small problem was that he couldn’t actually find any men willing to do what was necessary (i.e., dress as women, take hormones, etc.) in order to apply for those teams — so he and the former CEO of the Daily Wire Jeremy Boreing turned it into a “comedy.” However, in light of some recent WNBA drama, two douchebag former NBA players have announced their plans to claim they identify as women and ask to be drafted into the WNBA.
The two ex-players are Enes Kanter Freedom, whose description as a “human rights activist” on his Wikipedia page may need some updating, and Royce White, who despite having only played in in the NBA for one year appears (from what I have learned from the NBAGossips subreddit) to have been very famous for being afraid of airplanes. White is currently running to be the Minnesota Republican Senate nominee — a race he is expected to lose in today’s election, just as he lost to Amy Klobuchar when he was the GOP’s candidate in 2024. Not that it matters, because Republicans haven’t won a statewide race since 2006, so it’s really just nine people running to lose to Peggy Flanagan (we hope!) or Angie Craig in November.
Freedom announced his plan on Friday in a video message from what appeared to be a fake broadcast studio.
After careful consideration and reviewing the current eligibility guidelines,
I’m officially declaring myself a WNBA prospect.
If simply declaring who you are is all that’s required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA.
My team and I have carefully examined the WNBA’s eligibility criteria and governing framework surrounding self-identification and inclusion. Based on the current guidelines, I can and am officially declaring my eligibility for the upcoming WNBA draft in April 2027.
I know my presence on the court will stir up strong opinions. I am definitely not here to mock, make fun of, or disrespect any community or personal choices.
Except for how that is exactly what he is doing, and, by the look on his face, he appears to be quite smug about it.
I’m simply asking that the current rules be applied equally to everyone — the rules that represent the very values many WNBA players and coaches have publicly advocated for.
My team and I are prepared to ensure these guidelines are applied equally, consistently, and without exception, and I look forward to the #WNBA honoring its stated principles.
Oh my god, it’s just so clever. So witty. Such a total own. Like saying you identify as an attack helicopter or claiming your pronouns are Fuck/You or whatever.
(As a brief aside, there are many reasons, even apart from my own personal morals and principles and humanity, why I would hate being a conservative, but having to hear the same five jokes for all eternity and pretend that they are still funny would be at least one of my personal hells.)
Later in the weekend, Royce White piggybacked on Freedom’s announcement and stated that he, too, was going to pretend to be transgender in order to play in the NBA.
Via Fox News:
“I’m transgender. I’m a woman. I identify as sometimes identifying as a woman for purpose of basketball, professional basketball, so I’ll be declaring for the WNBA draft in 2027 as well,” White said.
“I think I’d be unstoppable. But I’m a team-first guy. I’m a pass-first kind of player. I do the little things. I led my team in all five major stat categories at Iowa State University, so I do a little bit of everything. I’ll do whatever the coach needs me to do. I’ll do whatever the girls need me to do...
“I think it’s only fair.”
Again, White only played in the NBA for one year, during which he only played three games.
“I think the WNBA could come out and make a definitive statement about guys with a pair of balls playing in the Women’s Association,” he said.
Asked whether he would proceed unless the league did make such a statement, White replied, “Oh, no, I’m declaring. And I don’t want to be discriminated against. I want fair treatment. I’m a young Black, hopefully United States Senator that would like a fair chance to participate as a sometimes-identifying-as-a-transgender-woman athlete.”
“I have to file a discrimination lawsuit, right? I mean, that's, that's ridiculous,” he said. “We're gonna have to have a huge legal battle about discrimination if I can't play.”
He continued the bit on social media, rather unintelligibly.
“Live with Alex Jones, I’m a Pro-Life sometimes identifying as a Black woman. Why can’t people on the left be more supportive? All this hatred is making my transition that much more difficult. I already have to deal with White supremacy and now this too?” he wrote, posting a picture of himself in a wig.
Minnesota’s primary is today and White is polling at 13 percent, so he’s looking for a new hobby, and “trolling transgender people who have done nothing to bother him” appears to be his choice.
The thing is — both of these men have been very clear that they are only pretending to be trans in order to make a very stupid point.
For what it’s worth, this is a complete non-issue. For one, I don’t think you can just announce yourself as a draft prospect. I don’t know so much about how sports work, but that does not sound right to me at all. For another, there aren’t even any trans women in the WNBA to begin with.
So what’s this all about? Well, last month, the Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham came out as a transphobic asshole, which a lot of people did not love, including Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve, who wore a T-shirt reading “Trans Kids Belong” the very next time her team played the Fever. Republicans have been rejoicing and fangirling over Cunningham ever since, because you know how they get when they think they have anyone who is almost a celebrity on their side.
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WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert sent a memo out to team members regarding this whole mishegas.
Via AP:
“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, which was sent Friday afternoon and obtained by 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 wrote that the league will “always approach this topic thoughtfully, respectfully, and in alignment with the longstanding values of our league. Second, our player eligibility rules, unlike the eligibility rules of some other leagues and governing bodies, are collectively bargained. Lastly, preserving the integrity of our game and ensuring fair competition will always remain among the league’s highest priorities.”
The league’s collective bargaining agreement states that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA,” but it does not include any more specific language about gender identity or sex assigned at birth.
“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 players’ union also released their own statement.
“We embrace justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Those are the values that unite this Union and allow it to protect women’s sports while creating transformational change,” they wrote, adding that “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,” the post continued. “But we will not be used as political pawns.”
Ah but in an election season when all the president’s numbers are in the toilet, “trans this and that” will continue to be the only thing Republicans feel safe squawking about. They will indeed attempt to continue to use the WNBA as political pawns.
PREVIOUSLY ON WONKETTE!
Ok. So undergo gender reassignment surgery and we’ll talk.
Odds are he’d still get his ass completely beat if he was granted the right to play today.
I guess today is ASSHOLE DAY or maybe every day in this timeline is asshole day.