The WNBA ushers in a new wave of talent every year through its draft. But unlike the NBA, which has allowed NCAA athletes to leave college early to go pro for more than 50 years, the WNBA has multiple rules in place that restrict players in the United States from entering the draft at an early age.
The WNBA collective bargaining agreement also states that "only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA." There is no further definition of a woman, and the WNBA has no publicly available policy governing eligibility of transgender or intersex athletes.
Although former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White declared themselves women and thus eligible for the WNBA draft during the summer of 2026, multiple sources within the WNBA told ESPN that they will not be eligible for the WNBA's next draft and will not be allowed to play in the women's league by any other means.
No known transgender woman has played in the WNBA, and sources said there are no expectations of any rule alterations in the near future. Here's a look at the league's draft eligibility rules:
What are the WNBA's draft eligibility rules?
According to the collective bargaining agreement between the WNBA and its players' union, all NCAA players who graduate from a four-year college within three months of the draft, or are four years removed from high school graduation, or turn at least 22 years old during the year in which the draft takes place are eligible to renounce any remaining NCAA eligibility and opt in to the WNBA draft.
International draftees must be at least 20 years old during the year in which the draft takes place.
Who were the last five No. 1 WNBA draft picks?
2026: Azzi Fudd
2025: Paige Bueckers
2024: Caitlin Clark
2023: Aliyah Boston
2022: Rhyne Howard
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