Former NBA player Royce White has announced he will declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft, stating he identifies as a woman for the purposes of professional basketball and is entering his "feminine era." The announcement has generated significant public attention and backlash.
White, who also stated he is a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota, made the declaration on social media. He later posted a video of himself dunking during his time with the Canadian team Island Storm, accompanying it with a comment addressing the criticism.
"I haven’t even been publicly trans for 72 hours and I’m already getting so much," White wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "I just want to hoop with my girls in my feminine era! Why can’t y’all be happy for me?"
He added, "Now that’s a transition!" shortly after the post. White's decision to enter the WNBA Draft follows a statement from Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who told ESPN that "girls in sport" should not have to compete against "biological men."
White's NBA career was brief after being selected by the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft. He played in three games for the Sacramento Kings in 2014, logging minimal playing time.