Indiana Fever v Chicago Sky
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The WNBA is involved in various controversies surrounding politics after Sophie Cunningham became a sports hero to right wing political figures. Protests against transgender athletes in women’s sports have become common before road Indiana Fever games in support of Cunningham, despite no trans players currently playing in the WNBA. Former NBA role player Enes Kanter has jumped on board and claims he wants to join the league after identifying as a woman.
ESPN revealed that Kanter and fellow NBA burnout Royce White will not be allowed in the league, according to WNBA sources:
“The WNBA has not announced any plans to prevent Enes Kanter Freedom from attending future games after he was ejected from Wintrust Arena in Chicago on Sunday, but multiple sources told ESPN that the former NBA player will not be eligible to play in the women’s league.
Sources around the league said Kanter Freedom and fellow former NBA player Royce White are not eligible to play in the WNBA after the pair declared themselves women and eligible for the draft.”
Kanter became a right-wing figure after he started calling out LeBron James and made appearances on Fox News to further cement his place in sports talk. The WNBA was never going to allow Kanter in the league, but the sources are finally confirming it after a few weeks of drama.
Why Enes Kanter Is Targeting WNBA
The wildest part of this story is witnessing how fast Kanter’s career changed after becoming popular in political spaces. Kanter’s NBA career peaked when he teamed with superstars Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard, but he failed to craft his own success.
A questionable future in the NBA led to Kanter making his presence known in politics after a lot of his supporters enjoyed him telling LeBron to “shut up and dribble” in less flagrant terms. This led to Kanter making sports commentary about politics to keep himself in the NBA and now WNBA news cycles.
WNBA players and league personnel often standing up for the LGBTQ community sparked Kanter and others to get involved. Cunningham’s controversy opened the window for Kanter, White and others to claim they should be allowed to play if the athletes support the transgender community.
WNBA Needs Great Playoffs To Get Past Politics
Today’s state of America sees politics involved in everything, and the WNBA being a primarily American league means it will continue. Right wing protestors supporting Caitlin Clark, Cunningham, and the Fever has led to them butting heads with other players.
The only way to get past all this drama is to have a great product on the court. WNBA officials can rest easier knowing this is the most exciting postseason in years. Young stars like Clark, Paige Bueckers, and Angel Reese will play relevant playoff games for the first time.
At least six teams have viable hopes of contending for a WNBA Championship, and the other two are also good teams. WNBA players having competitive and exciting series will get the league past a troubling season of American politics and bad faith public figures taking over the headlines.
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Joey Haverford Joey Haverford is a seasoned sports content writer with over 12 years of experience. He has covered the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NFL, and professional wrestling in the sports industry. More about Joey Haverford
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