Enes Kanter Freedom Declares for WNBA Draft Amid ‘Trans’ Controversy

Enes Kanter Freedom, an NBA star, anti-communism advocate and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, is calling the WNBA’s bluff by declaring for the league’s 2027 draft.

“Well, it’s officially official. I just declared for the 2027 WNBA draft in April,” Freedom said in a social media video. “Join me in this journey.”

“If simply declaring who you are is all that’s required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA,” Freedom said days earlier.

“I’m simply asking that the current rules be applied equally to everyone – the rules that represent the very values many WNBA players and coaches have publicly advocated for. … I look forward to the WNBA honoring its stated principles.”

What are those “stated principles?” Following Freedom’s declaration, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association released a statement on social media re-emphasizing “equity, diversity, and inclusion” as “values that unite this Union and allow it to protect women’s sports while creating transformational change.”

“Hate, abuse, and demonization of any person or group of people, including transgender people, only fuel fear, division, and harm. We will continue to have hard conversations. But we will not be used as political pawns,” the association claimed.

The WNBA’s official policy reserves the league for women: “Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.”

However, the policy does not define “women.” And the players association strongly supports men participating in girls and women’s sports.

“The WNBPA will fight for trans youth across the country,” the association asserts. “Banning trans kids from sports ostracizes them from a fundamental part of growing up and a lifeline to feel welcome and a part of their community.”

The WNBPA’s open invitation for male inclusion meant it was just a matter of time before a talented male athlete like Enes Freedom called its bluff. Will the association stand behind its “transgender” activism when its lofty language meets reality? Time will tell.

Enes Freedom was raised in Turkey and moved to the United States as teenager. He spoke out against President Erdogan’s human rights abuses in his home country. In response, the Turkish government “canceled his passport, placed his name on an Interpol list, banned communication with his family, imprisoned and tortured his father, [and] placed a $500,000 bounty on his head.”

The Utah Jazz selected the 34-year-old as the third overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. He went on to play for the Thunder, Blazers and Celtics, and used his famous “Freedom Shoes” in NBA games to speak out about the Chinese Communist Party’s human rights abuses.

After wearing “Anti-CCP” shoes in 2021, every Boston Celtics game was immediately banned by China and Turkey. The Celtics traded him to the Houston Rockets in February 2022, which then released him just three minutes later, a decision which Freedom believes was made to silence him and cost him around $50 million.

Freedom, who became a U.S. citizen in 2022, is now using his freedom to advocate for the right of women to compete freely, fairly and safely in athletics. And he’s not alone.

Royce White, a former NBA player, has also declared for the WNBA draft, saying the league is “an example of a herald of us losing a lot of things in this country.”

Sophie Cunningham, who plays guard for the Indiana Fever, recently ignited a firestorm by speaking out against men playing in women’s sports.

“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans,” the star player said. “And I’m like, ‘I never once said that.’ I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”

Cunningham’s bold remark stands in stark contrast to Cheryl Reeve’s, head coach of the Lynx, outspoken advocacy for transgender-identified players.

When the Lynx faced off against the Fever, Reeve wore a “Trans Kids Belong” shirt.

“We need to protect trans kids,” Reeve said. “To me, it’s a human rights issue. Every kid has a right to sports.”

Outkick founder Clay Travis devised a creative proposal to expose the WNBA’s transgender activism: A head-to-head basketball game between the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces and a boy’s high school state team.

“If the Aces beat my team, I will give them $10 million,” Travis said. The Las Vegas Aces and WNBA have not accepted, or even acknowledged, Travis’ offer.

In recent days, the pressure being placed on the WNBA by Freedom, White, Cunningham and Travis may have started to break through.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert sent a memo to teams addressing the controversy.

“I know many of you have received questions in recent weeks regarding transgender athlete participation in women’s basketball, and I expect this topic will continue to receive significant attention,” Engelbert wrote.

A task force of team presidents and general managers will discuss the topic at a meeting this week, she acknowledged.

For a league dedicated to female participation – it is the Women’s National Basketball Association after all – it’s quite silly to think there’s anything to “discuss.”

Nevertheless, the WNBA must recognize what a woman is – and fast. Otherwise, its players may be competing against the 6’ 10” Enes Freedom and the 6’ 8” Royce White next season.

Related articles and resources:

The Impending Extinction of Women’s Sports – Jennifer Sey | ReFOCUS

Clay Travis Calls the WNBA’s Bluff With $10 Million Challenge

WNBA’s Sophie Cunningham Stands Firm in Face of Criticism

The WNBA’s Culture War Has Arrived

Photo from Getty Images.