WNBA Says Only Women Can Play, Sparks New Debate in Congress

When a handful of Republican congressmen sent a polite‑looking inquiry to the Women’s National Basketball Association, they probably weren’t expecting a fireworks show. Instead, they got a brief, almost curt response from WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert that said, in plain terms, only women can play in the league.

The letter, dated Oct. 16, was addressed to Reps. Marlin Stutzman (R‑IN), Andy Biggs (R‑AZ), Erin Houchin (R‑IN) and Zach Nunn (R‑IA). Those lawmakers had asked about “eligibility, player safety and confrontations with fans,” and specifically wanted to know how the WNBA defines a "woman" under Article XIII, Section 1(a) of its collective bargaining agreement. They also wondered why two former NBA players, Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, had been ruled ineligible after announcing they would enter the WNBA draft as transgender athletes.

Engelbert’s reply, obtained by the media outlet and passed along by the America First Policy Institute, was short on nuance. "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," she wrote. No further explanation about what qualifies someone as a woman was offered.

That omission didn’t go unnoticed. Kanter Freedom, the outspoken former NBA big man, posted a photo of the letter on X (formerly Twitter) and lampooned the league’s stance. "The WNBA still can’t define what a WOMAN is, but they’re absolutely certain they know what a MAN is," he wrote, adding a sarcastic cheer for the "moment you’ve all been waiting for."

Royce White, who also declared his intention to run for the WNBA draft, has not publicly responded yet, but the reaction from trans‑rights advocates is already heating up. Critics argue that the league’s vague wording essentially delegitimizes transgender women’s identities, while supporters of Engelbert say the league is simply following its own rules, which have historically been based on biological sex.

Even Rep. Stutzman weighed in, noting on X that the WNBA’s reply “is their clear acknowledgment that simply identifying as a woman does not change basic human biology.” The comment, though brief, underscores the larger cultural clash playing out on the court and in Capitol Hill.

For now, the WNBA’s policy remains unchanged: only women, as the league defines them, may suit up. Whether that definition will be clarified—or challenged—in the coming months is anyone’s guess. What’s certain is that the conversation about gender, sports and fairness is far from settled.