‘Having a Blast in My Feminine Era’: Ex-NBA Player Dishes to Fox News About Plan to Enter WNBA Draft

Former NBA player and current Republican Senate candidate Royce White told Fox News on Sunday he now identifies as transgender and plans on declaring for the WNBA draft so he can play with “my queens.”

The 6’8, 35-year-old White said the WNBA would be bigoted if it blocked him from entering the league. But he told Fox & Friends Weekend it wouldn’t make much sense for the WNBA to ban him, because he believes he would drive significant fan interest and give the league a nice ratings boost.

“Right now I’m just having a blast in my feminine era,” White said. “I never thought I was a woman. You know, I’ve always trusted the science and I thought I was a man my entire life. But after further review, [and] a strong look at my personal preferences, 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 in the twilight of my career.”

Co-host Griff Jenkins then said White declaring for the WNBA draft “pulls the curtain back on the lack of clarity in the WNBA’s policies.” He pointed to the league’s bargaining agreement, which said only women can be drafted, but does not “define” what a woman is, Jenkins said.

“It seems the answer of what they do now is pretty clear, would you agree?” Jenkins asked.

“Well it’s just astounding the WNBA can’t define the ‘W’ in the name. And I think we’re going through a very necessary conversation about who is actually eligible to play in some of these professional sports leagues.”

He then added:

My goal is to help elevate the WNBA, I think the ticket prices and the attendance will soar, I think the live audience will increase, and I think ultimately it’s good for the game… who would argue a player like myself or an Enes Kanter, or you know in the future, I don’t know, a LeBron James, after he expires in the NBA, maybe he wakes up one day and realizes he’s a woman as well. Who could argue that that wouldn’t make the woman’s game better?”

His Fox News interview comes two days after he joined fellow ex-NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom in declaring for the WNBA draft.

White was a first-round pick of the Houston Rockets in 2012, but only played three NBA games in his career due to struggles with generalized anxiety disorder; 34-year-old Freedom averaged 11 points and eight rebounds per game in his 11 NBA seasons.

Their announcements on Friday spurred the WNBA to put out a statement saying it would not be “used as political pawns.” The WNBA is also planning on reviewing its approach to trans issues at a task force meeting next week.

All of this comes after Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham has been at the center of a media firestorm, following her July remarks to ESPN she did not believe girls and women should play against biological boys and men who have transitioned.

Here is the comment which sparked the whole saga:

“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’” [Cunningham] says. “I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”

Cunningham’s comment has been both praised and condemned, with some fans rallying in support of her and making her Adidas sneakers a must-have item. Others have criticized her for it, including one opposing coach who took a not-so-subtle shot at Cunningham last week by wearing a shirt declaring “Trans Kids Belong.” 

Watch above.

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