The WNBA has spent months fielding questions about who can play in the league. Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham sparked the debate in July, and her remarks drew demonstrations both supporting and opposing her position. Former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White raised the stakes in August. Both declared for the 2027 draft and said they identify as women.

Now Caitlyn Jenner says the league is paying for its stance.

In a clip shared on X, the 1976 Olympic decathlon champion said, “I think the WNBA is imploding because of their position on this.”

Jenner, who won gold as Bruce Jenner and came out as transgender in 2015, believes the answer is simple.

She said the league only has to say, “XX you’re in, XY you’re out.”

Caitlyn Jenner to the WNBA: “XX you’re in, XY you’re out.”

“It’s not hard to take a DNA test.”

@Caitlyn_Jenner says the league is IMPLODING over this, and the fix is very simple.

— Mr Producer (@RichSementa) October 21, 2026

Jenner recalled that Olympic athletes in the late 1960s and 1970s faced screening aimed at the East German and Soviet women. In her telling, those checks faded once those countries were gone.

From there, she moved to a DNA test for WNBA players.

“It’s not hard to take a DNA test. It just isn’t that hard,” Jenner said.

She added that she is sure players already take a physical when hired, since the league is “putting a lot of money into this person.”

In August, Jenner backed Kanter Freedom and White, saying they were “showing the hypocrisy of what’s going on out there in the WNBA.”

Both former NBA players see their declarations as a challenge to the league’s rules.

The league has not budged. After league officials met on the topic, a spokesperson said, “There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA.”

The statement also denounced “bad-faith efforts” to demean or marginalize others.

No transgender woman has ever played in the WNBA. Kanter Freedom, who spent 11 seasons in the NBA, and White, who played three NBA games, are aiming at a draft that does not happen until next April. So far, the fight is about a rule, not a roster.

Not everyone in women’s basketball sees it Jenner’s way. Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said on Aug. 1, “We need to protect trans kids. To me, it’s a human rights issue. Every kid has a right to sports.”

Her comments focused on children’s access to sports, not professional eligibility.

The WNBA Players Association has taken a cautious route.

The union said it embraces “justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion,” and it also said it would “not be used as political pawns.”

Caitlyn Jenner’s DNA Test Call Lands As The WNBA Rulebook Leaves “Women” Undefined

The rulebook sits at the center of it all. Article XIII, Section 1(a) of the collective bargaining agreement says, “Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” The 409-page document never defines “women.” It also has no rules on transgender players.

The league has now put its position in writing too. In an Oct. 16 letter to Rep. Marlin Stutzman and four other House Republicans, Engelbert wrote that “only women are eligible to play in the WNBA and the individuals you cite in your letter are both men.” The inquiry covered eligibility, player safety and fan interactions.

That letter answers who is ineligible today. It does not settle how the league would define eligibility for the next case. That gap is the opening Jenner, Kanter Freedom and White keep pointing to.

Engelbert has also called the topic “complex and nuanced” and said eligibility rules are collectively bargained. That means any change would involve the players’ union. The league says it will keep talking with teams and the union. It also says “preserving the integrity of our game and ensuring fair competition” stays a top priority.

The league has until April to decide whether a one-sentence clause needs a definition.