Former NBA player Royce White, who has transitioned his career into political activism and a run for public office, continues to draw attention for his high-profile political strategy. In August 2026, White declared his intention to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft—claiming a transgender identity as “Queen Roysha” alongside Enes Kanter Freedom to directly challenge the league’s gender eligibility policies. White escalated the spectacle by showing up courtside at an Indiana Fever vs. Connecticut Sun game wearing a long blonde wig, mockingly demanding that people “bow for a beautiful Black Trans Lesbian” after the WNBA swiftly rejected his draft bid as a bad-faith effort.

While critics and players dismissed the move as bad-faith performance art, White insisted his legal team is preparing for a “huge legal battle” against the league over its gender eligibility guidelines, using the disruption to anchor his right-wing populist campaign for public office.

Q&A With Royce White

Royce White opens up to ScoopB.com about his political ambitions, cultural critiques and high-profile figures across sports and politics. From his views on election security and macroeconomics to his candid thoughts on Donald Trump, Stephen A. Smith, Colin Kaepernick and the leadership of the WNBA, White delivers an unfiltered look into his vision for American politics and culture.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Have you and Enes Kanter been in contact?

Royce White: No, I don’t need to talk to him either. I don’t need to talk to no Turk about what’s going on in this country. I’m a foundational Black American, born and raised in America. I don’t need to coordinate with no Turk about what I’m saying or doing. I wish him well and hope he gets drafted if that’s what he wants to pursue, but we’re cut from two totally different cloths.

People have to understand: mass deportations—20 million foreign invaders as advertised. Secure the elections. Arrest the deep state traitors. I was talking about Epstein back in 2022 when the Biden administration and Democrats acted like the files were a conspiracy theory.

Again, we just realized there’s a sizable number of women in this country who condone a mother strangling her three kids in her basement, so we have another crisis on our hands. That’s the type of shit I want to talk about. I’m running for United States President.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Stephen A. Smith defended you and Enes Kanter Freedom for taking a stand by declaring for the WNBA draft in protest of the league’s stance on trans athletes.

Royce White: I like Stephen A. He’s a good guy.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Okay.

Royce White: I’ve been critical of him in the past because as a young Black athlete, you’re under a microscope and the media feels like a hostile entity. I always side with the players.

I was critical of sports media because it always seems like those who can’t play talk about those who can. As a guy who could really play, I felt hostility toward that. As I’ve gotten older, I realize you need that drama to drive the commercial growth of sports. I know that even more now as a pro fighter, where the fight game is greatly driven by storylines.

I have a different respect for Stephen A. Smith’s work in sports now. What he’s doing beyond sports can’t even be quantified. His emergence as a political voice from his position as one of the most successful sports journalists in American history is unquantifiable in its importance.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Do you think if he ran for president he’d win?

Royce White: He’d have to run against me. If we were opponents, I’d have the same conversation with him that I’ve had in our interviews. We disagree on things, but you have to quantify bravery by what people are willing to sacrifice against what they have.

In our radical materialist society, it’s difficult for a rich man to sacrifice his wealth. Stephen A. Smith is willing to give up a fortune most people would steal from their mama to get, just to say what he thinks is true. There’s nothing more honorable than that today.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Going back to the WNBA, what’s your response to Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announcing her retirement?

Royce White: Good. She should. She’s a cisgender, heterosexual white woman with a lot of white privilege and the beneficiary of white supremacy. A beautiful Black trans lesbian like Royce wants to know why she thought she could deny my existence or sexual identity and stick around anyway. She never stood a chance. Of course she’s retiring. The question is, who are they replacing her with?

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: What do you make of Swin Cash as a replacement?

Royce White: Big-time name. But as commissioner, you have to govern an institution like the WNBA. The name is only part of the battle; it comes down to spirit, motivation, integrity, and intellect.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: You’ve been vocal in supporting Donald Trump’s movement. What does the traditional political establishment on both sides fail to understand about why his message resonates so strongly with everyday working-class Americans?

Royce White: That question answers itself. The political establishment is unmoored from the working-class struggle and has an abstract view of what it means to be human. The uniparty in America is a global political establishment by default, and from that high up, it’s difficult to connect with everyday people.

It’s interesting that President Trump has that connection despite being part of the elite class for a long time. Credit to him—despite his financial success, he connects with the working class and understands what everyday citizens go through, breaking ranks with his own socioeconomic status.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: How does that resonate with working-class people who can’t afford groceries, gas, or electric bills?

Royce White: That requires a deep answer on macroeconomics. In our radical materialist society, we prioritize spending above our means. We just crossed $40 trillion in debt. As the old saying goes, your crocodile eyes are bigger than your tweetie bird ass. That gets projected onto our business and political classes.

The average citizen doesn’t have the wages to pursue the American Dream propagandized by the media industry. What is a quality standard of living? Do we need to be a global dollar empire telling every country how to run their shit? We’re biting off more than we can chew.

At the local level, do you need to go to Mykonos, own designer bags, or donate to Lindsay Clancy’s GoFundMe? Is that prosperity? I say no. Government must shrink its economic scope and individuals must follow suit.

In Trump’s defense, his efforts to shift our economic culture—like closing the trade deficit—must be measured separately from immediate gas or grocery prices. Reorienting national trade policy and the cost of a loaf of bread are galaxies apart.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Where does your political vision align most closely with Trump’s and where does the MAGA movement need to go further?

Royce White: President Trump is the most moderate version of the MAGA movement. Anyone further to the center isn’t MAGA in our eyes.

My criticism of Trump is from the right: he hasn’t gone far enough. Mass deportations must happen. You don’t have a country if you allow 20 million foreign invaders to stay because deporting them is called “racist.” Allowing illegal immigrants to stay and paying for them is self-destructive. Border security isn’t enough; they have to go back.

Next is securing elections, which the Republican-held government is failing to do. Finally, we must address the deep state. Growing up in the hood, the consensus was always that a shadow government or CIA had a hand in assassinating MLK, Malcolm X, JFK, or RFK. Now the establishment claims the deep state is a conspiracy theory. Regardless, President Trump needs to be making deep state arrests.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Colin Kaepernick called out Jay-Z’s deal with the NFL, saying Jay-Z served as corporate cover to silence real activism. Do you agree with Kaepernick, or was Jay-Z’s partnership a smart way to gain leverage?

Royce White: Fuck Colin Kaepernick. Running around wearing an afro as a costume is corny. How do you feel about the icon of athlete activism wearing an afro as a Black Panther costume when he was raised by two white parents in Wisconsin? Stop it.

Jay-Z brokered a deal with an influential institution, but Jay-Z’s political views are irrelevant anyway. He’s a cultural force, not a political or intellectual one needed to steward institutions.

Kaepernick’s criticism is from the left, but Reasonable Doubt had more cultural impact than Kaepernick kneeling. Kaepernick’s protest is actual cover for the establishment. The NFL is a chameleonic institution that does whatever it needs to survive, partner with the military, and parade Pride Month stuff every year.

Kaepernick won’t criticize that because he pulls the Overton window to the left while serving the same establishment. When I see Kaepernick criticize liberal suburban white women supporting child murder or LGBTQ agenda items in grade schools, then we can talk politics. Until then, he can go fuck himself too. Him, Jay-Z—none of them are real to me.

Wrapping Up

Royce White views sports merely as one arena in a larger, confrontational political battle. His reaction illustrates a refusal to engage with traditional sports-centric critiques, instead pivoting every issue into a broader commentary on cultural and political establishment dynamics.

Ultimately, this exchange showcases the ways former athletes navigate public discourse today. Through shock-value political demonstrations and uncompromising rhetoric, White signals that status inside athletic leagues holds no weight in his eyes when measured against external ideological debates.