WNBA task force discusses transgender athletes amid furor
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Cheryl Reeve addresses her conversation with Cunningham (0:41)
A WNBA task force of team presidents and general managers met Wednesday and discussed transgender athletes but did not arrive at any eligibility rules, according to a statement sent to ESPN by a league spokesperson.
In recent weeks, demonstrators have staged rallies at Indiana Fever games for and against transgender inclusion after Fever guard Sophie Cunningham said in an ESPN article that she supports barring transgender girls and women from girls' and women's sports.
The league's statement Wednesday, in full, reads:
"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."
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert previously sent a memo to teams saying a task force of WNBA team presidents and general managers would discuss the issue at the meeting, which was already scheduled.
The WNBA has no publicly available policy governing eligibility of transgender or intersex athletes. The 2026 collective bargaining agreement signed in March states that "only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA." There is no further definition of a woman. On Friday, two former NBA players, Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, declared themselves eligible for the WNBA draft, saying they identify as women.
No known transgender woman has ever played in the WNBA. Two known nonbinary athletes have played in the league: Layshia Clarendon and AD Durr. Both players' birth sex is female. The WNBA has not responded to requests to clarify its policy and how it applies to transgender women, transgender men and nonbinary players.
Before Indiana's win over the New York Liberty on Tuesday, Fever coach Stephanie White gave an impassioned speech about the commentary and scrutiny directed at her team and the WNBA.
"The hate, the fearmongering, the divisiveness, the stuff that's trying to hijack our league will not win," she said.
Reporting from ESPN contributed to this story.
