Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, former NBA players, will not be eligible for the WNBA draft, according to a source. The source shared this information with The Associated Press under anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Both Freedom and White expressed their intention to enter the draft next year, yet the WNBA hasn’t publicly commented on their eligibility. The source did not provide details on why they were ruled ineligible.

The WNBA faces ongoing debates regarding the inclusion of transgender women. These are individuals who transition from male at birth to their gender identity. To date, no transgender players have been part of the WNBA. While the league’s bargaining agreement specifies eligibility for women, it lacks detailed language on gender identity or birth-assigned sex.

Freedom and White have identified as women upon declaring their draft interest. Freedom played 11 NBA seasons while White appeared in three games.

Controversy arose during the Indiana-Chicago game as Freedom was expelled following a confrontation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud. Freedom was wearing a shirt reading “WOMAN noun. adult human female.”

During the game, Cloud approached Freedom, yelling and pointing at him. Freedom responded by stepping toward the court, leading to security and Sky players intervening. Freedom was escorted from the area after speaking with security, displaying his shirt to the crowd.

Freedom later commented via social media about his ejection, framing it as a result of his support for women.

Further discussions occurred between Cloud and security after the game, but she did not speak to the media.

The league has seen increased discussions about transgender participation following comments from Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who voiced opposition to transgender individuals competing in female sports.