6’10” former Knicks and Celtics star formerly declares for the WNBA draft

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Royce White is subject to a no-contact order after a Minnesota judge ruled there was credible evidence of threats of harm toward his ex-wife and one of two children they have together.
In court filings, White is accused of making numerous threats and being both physically and verbally abusive toward his former partner and their teenaged son. He refutes the allegations and is appealing judicial findings in the case, telling MPR News on Thursday the order is a “substantial miscarriage of justice” and “excessively punitive.”
White, a former professional basketball player who later became an online conservative activist, is running for the Senate for a second time. He was the GOP’s Senate nominee in 2024 but faces stiff party competition this time from former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya, former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze, past Republican Party Chair David Hann and others.
The protective order against White was granted by a judge on Feb. 17 after a preliminary order was issued in December. The order requires White to stay a quarter mile away from his ex-wife and their son, including at their home, her place of work and the boy’s school. The judge did not apply the restriction to White’s daughter because a burden of proof was not met to suggest abuse or imminent threats against her.
The order for protection is in effect for 50 years in relation to his former partner and two years for the son. It also requires White to attend domestic abuse programming, undergo a mental health evaluation and comply with treatment recommendations.
Hennepin County District Court Judge Kristen Marttila wrote that White’s ex-wife “is plainly in fear” of him and “appeared to the court to be utterly at a loss for how else to gain peace from him.”

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/04/23/us-senate-candidate-royce-white-is-under-order-to-avoid-ex-wife-their-son-over-threats

@LuckyAzureBird Republican U.S. Senate candidate Royce White is subject to a no-contact order after a Minnesota judge ruled there was credible evidence of threats of harm toward his ex-wife and one of two children they have together.

Gosh. I thought all transwomen were supposed to be lovely and wouldn't hurt a fly🙄

It’s hilarious the way trans activists say “there are no trans women in the WNBA!” as if that’s a defence, when the obvious inference is it would be a problem if there were trans women in the WNBA, but because there isn’t is isn’t a problem.

Sooooo transphobic.

How about we discuss inequality of access and sponsorship, and widespread abuse by coaches AND men in women's sport because we are able to think about more than one issue at the same time. Or are you not?

TPA has committed to this agenda, and a bit like Joly, can't row back as they'd have to admit what they've done to their family.

So no, they can't think of anything more than we are all mean and wrong.

Which i can understand on an intellectual level, but it gets more and more desperate and sad as time goes on.

Yup. They are going down with this ship. Kicking and screaming all the way. They have literally no choice.

Absolutely tragic.

This seems to have been stirred up by, yes, a right-wing sporting activist group called OutKick (Riley Gaines is also part of this group, and they appear on the Fox network.) The quote below is from Forbes.

The current push to solidify the eligibility requirements comes after Cunningham who has been described as "MAGA Barbie" online, last month said she wants to "protect women's sports" and doesn't think people born male should be allowed into the league. Her remarks have since triggered small rallies both supporting and opposing her at WNBA games, and gained more visibility after OutKick sent a direct message to transgender French basketball player Julie Tétart asking if she'd like to play in the WNBA. Tétart, a 34-year-old who plays for Monaco in second-tier French women's basketball Ligue 2, said it would be a dream come true but reportedly added, “you have to be realistic: I'm old, and there are far better players than me!" OutKick then published an article slamming the “inclusive” WNBA for not having called up the player after her dominating season in France’s second division, and Outkick founder Clay Travis called the league "transphobic" on X.

So, Clay Travis of OutKick is actually challenging the WNBA here. He asked Julie Tetart, rather than the other way around, He doesn’t believe what he is saying (you need only go to his X profile to see that). It is entirely possible that the men that have come forward for the draft have been paid to do so.

It’s a clumsy, divisive way to force change for the WNBA, particularly as there are no current male players at all. It isn’t even an issue that required addressing.

Keeping men out of women’s sport is not a “right wing” belief. It’s a belief shared across everyone of all persuasions. The difference is right wing news outlets and organisations are more than happy to say it, report it, and act on it, whereas left wing news outlets and organisations are too scared of their own shadows to risk it. They are completely pathetic.

It’s not a “clumsy, divisive way” at all. Everyone bar those who think Reddit in real life is loving it because it turns the stupid ideology on itself. And it’s not clumsy because people have been trying to get the WNBA to clarify its position for years and they won’t. Now they’ll have to.

Again, it seems people are saying it would be a problem if there was a trans identifying man in the WNBA. What problem would that be, do you think?

And it’s helpful anyway, because a confirmation that the WNBA is just for females will filter down to College basketball, where they are recruited from. Which will filter down to high school basketball where college basketball recruits from. It’s a small step to regain sanity which the vast majority of humans on the planet believe in.

No, the best way to save AND improve womens sports is to keep it female only. It is to ensure training is tailored to womens cycles for example, as fluctuating hormones means women and girls are prone to injuries at certain time of the month. It is ensuring equipment is tailored to the subtle differences in womens bodies. It is ensuring girls are as comfortable as possible in playing sports when their bodies are changing so rapidly. It is not sexualising them in skimpy outfits when men and boys get to wear comfortable clothing.

That is how womens sports is saved. Said by an ex-swimmer mom of girls.

And yet, male athletes who wish to compete as female athletes in any female sporting category which has a policy that allows them to play don’t have to pass any political alignment test.

You and others can make all the accusations you wish about how these athletes are not the right kind of people. It is all irrelevant.

It is irrelevant because the issue is there and they are bringing attention to it. Sophie Cunningham has been receiving abusive harassment for simply saying she supports female sports categories being protected.

Tell us. Who are the right people to get the WNBA to act?

Or…. Do we all have to wait for a male person with a transgender identity to be playing at elite level ? Oh… right. And then everyone who tried to get the WNBA to act would be called a bigot anyway. So isn’t it far better that not one player is being focused on specidically to be removed from the league?

If your only comeback is ‘but it is causing division’, then you have nothing but weak and emotionally manipulative reasoning. Is it causing division? Yes. Because it always was going to be a divisive issue, hence some sporting federation lack the courage to do anything to protect female athletes.

Plus the ultimate outcome is ‘division’ because that is how protected sports categories work! How the fuck can you have a protected sports category for female people if the policy allows male athletes to compete.

And by the way, are you now demonising any of the female tennis players for their political views for saying that they support the same sex screening and policy that Sophie Cunningham was agreeing with? Or is it just because these basketballers are the ‘wrong type’ of people according to your political criteria and the blame rests on them because you feel you can demonise them while ignoring the fact that there are sporting federations who still have not protected female sporting categories?

Sounds more like you, personally, don’t believe female people should have a protected sports category.

@NotBadConsidering

Keeping men out of women’s sport is not a “right wing” belief. It’s a belief shared across everyone of all persuasions. The difference is right wing news outlets and organisations are more than happy to say it, report it, and act on it, whereas left wing news outlets and organisations are too scared of their own shadows to risk it. They are completely pathetic.
So you don’t think that OutKick calling Tetart and asking about playing in the WNBA - thus triggering this episode - is a tad dishonest? They created the “news” themselves. Now they’re promoting that “news”. I’m not sure this is generally how news outlets operate.

It’s not a “clumsy, divisive way” at all. Everyone bar those who think Reddit in real life is loving it because it turns the stupid ideology on itself. And it’s not clumsy because people have been trying to get the WNBA to clarify its position for years and they won’t. Now they’ll have to.
It’s obvious bait. I agree the WNBA should clarify their position, but as there is currently no males in the roster, it seems other issues are more pressing for the organisation. The only things I read about on Reddit is literature, BTW. And cats.

Again, it seems people are saying it would be a problem if there was a trans identifying man in the WNBA. What problem would that be, do you think?
I agree, it would be a problem.

Why would wanting women's sports to remain single sex be a 'right wing' thing? Can anyone explain?

“but as there is currently no males in the roster, it seems other issues are more pressing for the organisation.”

So you would prefer to wait until the issue came to a head and a single or a few male players were then focused on to force the WNBA to act ? Does something has to be an active issue for it to be worthy of your support and it has to be approached in just the right way or else it should not be done?

Meanwhile, some of the very issues that another poster listed as being more important will also be positively impacted in the future by fixing this issue. Plus considering the Tennis association has recently published their policy after the OIC earlier this year, and the WNBA had not publicly announced any review of their policy, it is the right time to be having this review done.

Or should it just be pushed into the future because some people want it to be done with just the right people involved and just the tone of messaging used? Just so no male people who are still actually playing basketball in fhs female category are offended ?

I think we know that for the political action to be righteous, the narrow list of righteous people speaking gently at the time agreed to be the righteous time is to be supported.

Political tribalism is emotional manipulation.

Olympic boxing tried the BlessingYou approach - how did that go? Female boxers having to suffer the consequence and lots of Be Kind types wringing their hands over the focus on poor Khelif.

Surely better that systemic inclusion problems get fixed by Bad males, before a poor 'innocent' male who just wants to be in female sports for Good reasons gets put in the spotlight of the 'right-wing press'?

So you don’t think that OutKick calling Tetart and asking about playing in the WNBA - thus triggering this episode - is a tad dishonest? They created the “news” themselves. Now they’re promoting that “news”. I’m not sure this is generally how news outlets operate.

This is the core of my issue with this. You’ve framed completely differently, and that’s fine, but I simply have a problem with a news organisation of any type creating a problem where one didn’t currently exist, then reporting on the blowout.

To be very, very clear: women’s sport is for women only.
If there is any unclear wording in the WNBA, this must be clarified.

However, I do not support underhand efforts by media organisations of any description to force that. This is textbook manipulation. OutKick are also feeding directly from culture wars to gain traction (something the WNBA may have wished to swerve).

Sounds more like you, personally, don’t believe female people should have a protected sports category.
Of course women should have a protected sports category.

Sorry. Not the same scenario.

So, of course female athletes should a protected sports category, but it should be done at the right time that everyone agrees on, and it should only ever be the right people involved and the correct way to do it.

Yes… we understand.

In the meantime, have you been defending Sophie Cunningham’s right to have spoken out. I believe she did it used a gentle approach. Or is she the ‘wrong’ person too?

So you don’t think that OutKick calling Tetart and asking about playing in the WNBA - thus triggering this episode - is a tad dishonest? They created the “news” themselves. Now they’re promoting that “news”. I’m not sure this is generally how news outlets operate.

“Dishonest”? Why? They want to know what the WNBA will do when it inevitably happens. And who cares? Everyone who believes in single sex sport - pretty much everyone - wants to know that too.

It’s obvious bait. I agree the WNBA should clarify their position, but as there is currently no males in the roster, it seems other issues are more pressing for the organisation.

So what if it’s bait? The WNBA needs baiting because they won’t answer straightforward questions.

More pressing issues? So the WNBA can’t clarify it’s a single sex sport AND focus on other things? And the rest of us can’t do more than one thing at a time?

I agree, it would be a problem.

So you don’t want an answer before it happens. You want to wait for it to happen, have a woman lose a spot in the draft and be on a WNBA team and THEN acknowledge it’s a problem?

Okay.

“news organisation of any type creating a problem where one didn’t currently exist”

The problem of having a policy that doesn’t protect female players does exist. It has existed since the policy was put in place.

According to one poster there are NINE male athletes in the school sports basketball. There is a problem.

If the rules are unclear, it is an issue that requires addressing.

If you are seriously suggesting that the WNBA should wait until an athlete is at the centre of the storm, you are not a sincere advocate for anyone's rights.

it should not be right wing or left wing to assert that competitive sport should be fair. Goodness knows why the left have decided to give the right such an open goal.

It’s obvious bait.
Isn't that the entire point of this?

“To be very, very clear: women’s sport is for women only.”

I believe that it is the very use of ‘woman/women’ that is the issue in the policy that has been checked and found to be the issue.

“If there is any unclear wording in the WNBA, this must be clarified.”

But only with the ‘right’ people bringing it up at the ‘right’ time and using the ‘right’ approach.

Yes. We get it.

Whereas if any male person with a transgender identity was playing and a female athlete complained she would be vilified and demonised even more than Sophie Cunningham is now. And it most definitively would still not be the right time and her complaint about a player would still not be the right approach.

Gosh… it is almost like some people have ignored the abusive treatment of all the past female athletes who said ‘no thank you’ in various ways. Or maybe their support of female single provisions is contingent on the achievement of those being just right. Which makes me think it is rather performative.