Former NBA player Royce White appeared in the stands watching the Indiana Fever’s game against the Connecticut Sun wearing a wig amid his attempts to enter the WNBA Draft.
White, 35, was a first-round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft when he was selected 16th overall by the Houston Rockets. After playing just three games in the league, for the Sacramento Kings in 2014, he became a standout performer in Canada for the London Lightning until 2018.
Eight years after last playing professional basketball, he recently followed in the footsteps of Enes Kanter Freedom in trying to enter the WNBA Draft, claiming they identify as women and aiming to take advantage of the league’s transgender athlete policies.
Last weekend, his only ally in his crusade, Kanter Freedom was ejected from the Fever’s game against the Chicago Sky after getting involved in an altercation with Natasha Cloud while he was sat courtside.
He was later banned from the arena by the Sky owner – but that did not stop White from heading to Indianapolis to make his own public display while wearing a blonde wig and referring to himself as ‘Roysha’.
He was filmed by Outkick making his way to his seat and then told the outlet: ‘The Queen has arrived. All hail. Bow to the Queen, Roysha.’ He later shared a picture sitting courtside.
Royce White took to social media to share a photo of his seat, going by the name ‘Roysha’
White was pictured speaking to Riley Gaines at the game while they were both courtside
Asked why he was there, he said: ‘Well, first of all, black trans lesbians matter. We’ve always mattered. We’ve always existed.
‘We have a right to exist and we have a right to be included and participate. And that’s what I’m here to do.
‘I’m here to participate, and scout some of the competition as well.’
The WNBA has reportedly said White and Kanter Freedom are ineligible to enter the draft, calling their recent declarations ‘publicity stunts’ and saying the league is ‘not going to give oxygen to efforts designed to mock the league or use this topic to demean and marginalize others’, per Front Office Sports.
Both White and Kanter Freedom have gone to watch the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark, after her teammate Sophie Cunningham sparked the league frenzy over the trans athlete debate.
Cunningham divided opinion after stating her desire to ‘protect young girls’ in an interview, bringing the league’s eligibility rules into the spotlight and prompting White and Kanter Freedom to try and take advantage.
Kanter Freedom attended Fever’s game in Chicago last weekend wearing a provocative t-shirt that included a definition of the word woman. ‘Woman. Noun,’ it read. ‘Adult human female.’ The words woman and female were highlighted in red.’
After getting into a verbal altercation with Cloud, he was ejected and Sky owner Michael Alter said he was banned from Wintrust Arena as he showed ‘potential to be a threat’ during the incident.
Enes Kanter Freedom was ejected from his courtside seat in Chicago last weekend
Kanter wore a t-shirt defining the term ‘woman’ at last weekend’s Sky game against Indiana
The behavior of both former NBA players has been widely slammed by those involved in the league. WNBA legend Angel McCoughtry, a five-time All-Star, told TMZ: ‘You guys are coming with the shirts. There’s no transgender in the WNBA. So y’all are going on a frenzy about what? What is the obsession with this? Why can’t we play and have fun?’
She continued: ‘Real NBA players, they don’t have time for that,’ McCoughtry said. ‘They come and support our game and we figure out ways we can create and grow.
‘What, are you about to come to L.A. next and do it or go to New York next and do it? So yeah, you should be banned. And then to prove a point. That we don’t have time for that and we’re not tolerating that kind of behavior. Leave us alone.
‘There’s not an active trans player in the WNBA. Why y’all keep coming at us? … It has nothing to do with us right now. If it happened, then have the conversation. It’s not happening.’
