The WNBA’s task force of team presidents and general managers met Wednesday to discuss transgender athlete participation but did not adopt any new eligibility rules, leaving the league’s current policy unchanged.
Following the meeting, the league released a statement emphasizing that the discussions extended beyond eligibility and also addressed the growing level of online abuse directed at WNBA players.
“Today’s meeting covered a wide range of topics, including ongoing discussions on transgender athletes and the continued hate and vitriol directed at players online. We will continue to engage all league stakeholders in the coming weeks and months. We will approach these important conversations thoughtfully and in alignment with the values of our league. There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others.”
The statement makes clear that the league has not reached a conclusion regarding transgender athlete eligibility and does not view the matter as requiring an immediate ruling. Instead, the WNBA said it will continue discussions with stakeholders in the weeks and months ahead.
The issue has received heightened attention in recent weeks following comments from Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham advocating for restrictions on transgender participation in women’s sports, as well as public declarations from former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White that they intend to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft. Those developments prompted Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to announce that the league would begin formal discussions through a task force of team presidents and general managers.
Currently, the WNBA has no publicly available policy specifically governing transgender or intersex athlete eligibility. The league’s 2026 collective bargaining agreement states that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA,” but it does not further define the term.
The league’s statement also underscored another growing concern: the increasingly hostile discourse surrounding the issue. By condemning “bad-faith efforts” to use the debate to demean or marginalize others, the WNBA signaled that it is attempting to separate its internal policy review from the broader cultural and political arguments that have surrounded the topic.
For now, the league’s position remains unchanged. There are no active eligibility matters before the WNBA, no new rules have been adopted, and league officials say conversations will continue before any potential policy changes are considered.
