Right after Cathy Engelbert’s move, Stephen A. Smith criticized the WNBA Commissioner. Following the league’s decision to address transgender player eligibility through a newly convened task force, Smith was on his YouTube show with a strong reaction. He argued that the league’s leadership should have established definitive parameters well before the issue escalated into a national talking point.
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Smith pointed directly to the language of the WNBA’s CBA, noting that while the document restricts participation to women, it leaves the key definition entirely open to interpretation.
“The key factual distinction that we have to point out, the current WNBA collective bargaining agreement says only players who are women are eligible, but it does not further define women or specify criteria involving gender identity, sex assigned at birth, hormone levels, or physical characteristics,” Smith said. “It also does not say that self-identification alone automatically makes a player eligible.”
Smith argued that this lack of textual clarity forced the commissioner’s hand after figures like Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White targeted the loophole. Responding to Engelbert’s memo to franchise executives, Smith delivered a blunt assessment:
“It’s too damn late. It’s too damn late. If your rules were more finite and clear, you wouldn’t have to have a meeting of team presidents and general managers. You’re the commissioner, you should already know.”
Smith added that the current debate reflects broader challenges.
“We literally are living in a society where there has to be a debate involving a collective bargaining agreement that explicitly states that the league is for women,” Smith remarked.
“Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA. So one could easily surmise, okay, you’re a woman, that makes you eligible. If you’re not a woman, you’re not eligible. It’s simple and plain. What’s the complication? The complication is that our society has devolved to a point where we’re not clear what defines a woman—at least in the eyes of some.”
The administrative scramble follows a memo from Engelbert to league teams, confirming that an anti-hate task force, comprising team presidents and general managers, will formally convene to discuss the nuances of transgender player eligibility.
The ongoing debate was pushed to an administrative tipping point when ex NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White publicly declared their intent to enter the 2027 WNBA draft by leveraging the self-identification loophole.
Smith addressed this development directly on his show:
“So, while Royce White or Enes Kanter Freedom may be accused of trolling and engaging in mockery and being a bit ridiculous, fine, what about the WNBA? What about the WNBA?”
In response to the growing rhetoric, the WNBPA issued a statement affirming its commitment to diversity and equity while explicitly stating that the union “will not be used as political pawns.”
Because player eligibility criteria are collectively bargained rather than unilaterally decided, any formal adjustments to the rules will require prolonged, multi-party negotiations between Engelbert’s office, team executives, and the players’ union.
