Royce White, a former NBA player, is stirring up conversation by donning a wig and playfully embracing what he calls his ‘feminine era.’ This comes just days after he announced his intention to enter the WNBA Draft.
Now 35, White played a mere three games with the Sacramento Kings during his short NBA career. He joins Enes Kanter Freedom as the second ex-NBA athlete to enter next year’s WNBA Draft amidst the ongoing debates on transgender inclusivity in sports.
White, following in the footsteps of Kanter Freedom, faced criticism for expressing his desire to identify as transgender during an interview with Fox News Digital. His aim? To compete with stars like Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham in the upcoming season.
A candidate for the Republican Senate nomination representing Minnesota, White has intensified his actions by sharing a photo on social media, where he sports a wig.
Accompanying the image, he humorously teased his detractors with the caption, ‘It came y’all… my first wig!’ hinting at future court appearances in his new look.
‘This is my feminine era glow up, did I slay? If y’all don’t “yassss queen” you’re transphobic. I really don’t understand all the hatred, I just want to play some hoops with my fellow ladies.’
Ex-NBA player Royce White trolled his critics by posing in a wig and celebrating his ‘feminine era’
White became the second former NBA player to declare for next year’s WNBA Draft
Ex-NBA star Enes Kanter Freedom also vowed to officially declare for the WNBA Draft in 2027
The WNBA has been engulfed in controversy over transgender athletes in recent weeks, after Indiana Fever star Cunningham said she wants to ‘protect young girls’ from ‘biological men.’
Cunningham’s comments have sparked protests and messages of support from the likes of Vice President JD Vance.
Golden State Valkyries star Gabby Williams claimed she would happily welcome a transgender player to her team, while Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve wore a ‘Trans Kids Belong’ t-shirt on the sidelines of their game against the Fever.
Royce also shared some of the abuse he has received since declaring for the WNBA Draft, which included apparent death threats and insults such as ‘stupid motherf***er.’
Earlier on Sunday, the 35-year-old appeared on Fox News to discuss the viral photo and his WNBA plans.
‘I’m just having a blast in my feminine era,’ he said. ‘I never thought that I was a woman. I’ve always trusted the science and thought I was a man my entire life.
‘But after further review… it would appear that I am indeed sometimes identifying as a transgender woman and I think it’s only fair I get a chance to play with some of my queens here in the twilight of my career, my athletic prime.’
The WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement says 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.
Sophie Cunningham’s comments have left WNBA fans, players and coaches divided
White is a former first-round draft pick who only played three games in the NBA for the Kings
WNBA star Gabby Williams recently claimed she would ‘welcome’ a transgender teammate
White, a former first-round draft pick, insisted that only the WNBA releasing ‘a definitive statement about guys with a pair of b**** playing in the Women’s Association’ could stop him.
He also vowed to wear a wig while he’s playing and said WNBA players will have ‘nightmares… and they should’ about him potentially competing against them.
‘I am 260 pounds, 6ft 8, can palm a men’s basketball probably as easily as any player in history,’ White, 35, continued. ‘I think I had the third biggest hands in the history of the modern NBA Draft combine. I really feel like I’m going to be dominant.’
When asked if he would use the women’s locker room in the WNBA, he replied: ‘Of course. I don’t want to be discriminated against. Why wouldn’t I use the women’s locker room?
‘I have great respect for the skill of women’s basketball. They have to play a much more skilled game because they don’t have some of the physical God-given abilities as the men.
‘So I have great respect for the women’s game but there is a significant difference between biological men and women and we’ve blurred that line, like we’ve blurred many other lines unnecessarily, and I plan to exploit that for my economic and athletic benefit.’
Freedom, meanwhile, stands at 6ft 10ins and played in the NBA for 11 seasons. He also announced his intention to join the WNBA on Friday afternoon.