WNBA Task Force Will Take Up Transgender Participation at Meeting Next Week

Cathy Engelbert sent a memo to WNBA teams on Friday afternoon setting out how the league office is handling questions about transgender athlete participation in women's basketball. The memo, obtained by The Associated Press and ESPN, said a task force of team presidents and general managers will take the subject up at a previously scheduled meeting next week.

"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. "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."

Three points followed. 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," Engelbert wrote. "Lastly, preserving the integrity of our game and ensuring fair competition will always remain among the league's highest priorities."

The collective bargaining agreement states that only players who are women are eligible to play in the league. Nothing further in the document addresses gender identity or sex assigned at birth. Eligibility sits inside the CBA rather than in a league handbook, which puts the Women's National Basketball Players Association on the other side of any change to it.

Engelbert wrote that listening sessions are being planned for team leaders who want to take part.

"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 wrote. "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."

Before Friday, the league had made no public comment on any of it.

The questions trace to an ESPN article published last month in which Indiana guard Sophie Cunningham voiced support for barring transgender girls and women from girls' and women's sports. Rallies followed the Fever on the road, first in Seattle and then in Portland. A lone protester turned up at Indiana's home game against Las Vegas on Thursday night. Indiana plays at Chicago on Saturday, and members of two conservative groups had planned a rally supporting Cunningham ahead of tip-off.

Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton was fined and barred from five home games, ESPN reported. Keaton had joined a group of fans confronting two teenagers seated courtside at a Seattle game against Indiana. The teenagers wore shirts reading "XX/XY," a product sold by the apparel brand XX-XY Athletics. One held a sign thanking Cunningham.

Demonstrators were outside the arena again in Portland the following Friday. Two nights later, at Target Center, protesters gathered on both sides as Minnesota beat Indiana 108-100. Cunningham comes off the bench for Indiana and is in her eighth WNBA season.

Engelbert last took questions from reporters at All-Star weekend, at a news conference in Chicago on July 25. She has held the job since 2019. The league office said nothing on the record about transgender participation in the two weeks that followed the All-Star break.

Two retired NBA players, Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, publicly declared themselves prospects for the 2027 draft on Friday. Each said he identifies as a woman.

The Women's National Basketball Players Association released a statement of its own on social media Friday.

The task force meets next week.