BS BULLETIN:
- Former NBA first-round pick Royce White showed up courtside at Friday night’s Indiana Fever game wearing a long blonde wig and introducing himself as “Queen Roysha.”
- White says he identifies as a transgender woman for purposes of basketball and has formally declared for the 2027 WNBA Draft to force the league to clarify whether biological males can compete.
- A league source says White and Enes Kanter Freedom are ineligible for the draft, but White’s attorney says the WNBA has yet to give him a formal determination.
Royce White didn’t just challenge the WNBA’s rules from behind a keyboard.
He put on a blonde wig and went courtside.
The former NBA first-round pick appeared Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the Indiana Fever’s game against the Connecticut Sun, sporting long blonde hair and continuing his campaign to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft.
“All hail Queen Roysha, the queen has arrived,” White told OutKick at the arena.
White said he was there to support the league — and perhaps conduct a little advance scouting. “I’m here to participate and scout some of the competition maybe as well,” he told OutKick.
On social media, White pushed the stunt even further, declaring: “The Kweeeen has arrived! They better bow for a beautiful Black Trans Lesbian!”
Fans didn’t exactly run for the exits. Video and photographs showed people greeting White, shaking his hand and posing for pictures with him.
The spectacle is part of a very deliberate challenge to the WNBA.
White formally declared for next year’s draft in a letter submitted to the league by his attorney, former Rep. Matt Gaetz. The filing states that White identifies as a transgender woman and argues that he qualifies under the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
That agreement says “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA,” but does not provide a more specific definition based on biological sex or gender identity.
White has made no secret of what he’s doing.
Earlier this month, when he first announced his plans, White told OutKick that he identifies as a woman “for purpose of basketball, professional basketball,” and said the WNBA could end his challenge by making a definitive statement about whether biological males are eligible to play.
Now the league apparently has an answer — although not one delivered directly to White.
A person familiar with the WNBA’s decision told the Associated Press this week that neither White nor fellow former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom is eligible for the 2027 draft. The source did not explain the basis for the decision, and the WNBA has not publicly announced an individual eligibility ruling on either man.
White’s camp isn’t satisfied.
Gaetz said his legal team has not received a formal determination from the league and warned the WNBA to “preserve all records in anticipation of litigation.”
The blonde-wig appearance also came just days after Kanter Freedom was ejected from a Chicago Sky game following a confrontation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud and subsequently banned from future Sky games.
Asked whether Fever fans should expect similar fireworks from him, White said no.
“I’m just here to spectate,” he told OutKick. “I’m just here to support the WNBA and support the Fever.”
Apparently Queen Roysha is taking this whole draft process very seriously.
She even scouts.
DBS WIRE SOURCES
- OutKick — Royce White shows up to Indiana Fever game in blonde wig amid WNBA Draft pursuit
- Associated Press/Fox Sports — Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White ruled ineligible for WNBA Draft
- OutKick — Royce White formally declares for 2027 WNBA Draft
