Ex-NBA Player Enes Kanter Declares For WNBA Draft Amid Trans Athlete Debate
The former NBA center's announcement challenges whether the league's eligibility framework allows entry through self-identification, intensifying debate over transgender participation in women's sports.
- On Friday, former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom announced he was "officially declaring myself a WNBA prospect" for the 2027 draft, saying he had reviewed the league's eligibility guidelines and believed he qualified under its "self-identification and inclusion" framework.
- The declaration followed weeks of controversy sparked by Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, whose July ESPN profile stated she wanted to "protect young girls in a locker room" who "shouldn't have to go against biological men," a position she later defended as common sense.
- Former NBA first-round pick Royce White declared for the draft hours after Freedom, telling Fox News he "identify as sometimes identifying as a woman for purposes of…professional basketball" and predicted he would be "unstoppable" in the league.
- WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert responded Friday with a memo to teams stating the league would approach the topic "thoughtfully, respectfully," while the Women's National Basketball Players Association emphasized "justice, equity, diversity and inclusion" and rejected use as "political pawns."
- The WNBA's collective bargaining agreement requires only women to be eligible but does not define eligibility through self-declaration alone; neither Freedom nor White has been placed in the 2027 draft pool, and their declarations carry no formal procedural standing under current league rules.
142 Articles
142 Articles
Five Quick Things: Yes, Enes Kanter and Royce White, That Is the Way – The American Spectator | USA News and Politics
I’m not a fan of the WNBA. I think it’s a joke of a league. I’m not a huge fan of women’s basketball, period, though I’ve got nothing against women playing basketball. I just notice that women’s basketball has emerged as a particular kind of entity which is hard to like. And the people it attracts as participants and huge fans are really, really hard to like. That said, the Caitlin Clark-Sophie Cunningham show in Indiana is pretty cool. Those tw…
What Is a Woman? Unprincipled WNBA Is Being Pressured to Walk the “Trans” Walk
Two ex-NBA players, Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, declared last Friday for the WNBA draft, identifying as "women." ... The post What Is a Woman? Unprincipled WNBA Is Being Pressured to Walk the “Trans” Walk appeared first on The New American.
Oh Christ, Some Transphobic Ex-NBA Players Are Gonna Try To Do 'Lady Ballers' IRL
Once upon a time, Ben Shapiro dreamed of doing a documentary about cisgender men pretending to be trans for the purpose of joining women’s sports teams. The one small problem was that he couldn’t actually find any men willing to do what was necessary (i.e., dress as women, take hormones, etc.) in order to apply for those teams — so he and the former CEO of the Daily Wire Jeremy Boreing turned it into a “comedy.” However, in light of some recent …
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