Stutzman Presses WNBA on 2027 Draft Ban for 2 Men as League Faces Oct. 16 Deadline
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 17
Stutzman Presses WNBA on 2027 Draft Ban for 2 Men as League Faces Oct. 16 Deadline
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 17
Summary
Rep. Marlin Stutzman and other Republicans asked WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to explain by Oct. 16 why Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White were ruled ineligible for the 2027 draft.
The letter centers on the league rule that only women may play in the WNBA, arguing the league has effectively drawn a line already because its collective bargaining agreement does not define the term.
Four questions in the letter also revisit player-safety and fan-confrontation concerns, citing DiJonai Carrington’s Aug. 8 Flagrant 2 foul, another Tiffany Hayes incident four days later, and Natasha Cloud’s Aug. 23 clash with Freedom.
The renewed pressure lands as Engelbert, who announced Sept. 4 that she will retire at the end of 2026, prepares to leave while the WNBA searches for her successor.