Sep 22, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) is interviewed during media day at Hilton Americas hotel. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Sep 22, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) is interviewed during media day at Hilton Americas hotel. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Kevin Durant, a superstar well-versed in dealing with ‘outside noise,’ has always supported women’s basketball and the WNBA, and amid the recent WNBA controversy involving his former teammate, Enes Kanter Freedom, and Royce White over the league’s liberal eligibility rules, the Rockets’ veteran superstar shared his opinion on the political issue.
“All that stuff just be noise, man. And the WNBA is flourishing. Look what these women are doing. You know, look at the money they’re making. They made over the last few years. Look at the visibility of their league.”
“They got four or five signature athletes on major brands like that that are representing major brands. Um, these women have brands for themselves or businesses for themselves outside of the game.”
“So a lot of that stuff, you know, the politics that they bring into sports nowadays, I understand the messaging behind what they’re trying to do. But a person like me, who just strictly cares for the purity of the sport, I do not give a f–k about none of that.”
“I care about flourishing and pushing the league forward, and that’s what’s happening right now,” Durant concluded.
The WNBA has been involved in several controversies this past season. From intentional targeting of Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham due to an alleged bias, which eventually turned into a race debate somehow, to now this gender-based issue with the league’s eligibility rules also allowing transgender individuals to participate.
Durant was teammates with Enes Kanter Freedom for one and a half seasons, from February 2015 to July 2016, on the Thunder, before Durant joined the Warriors in 2016 free agency. Enes Kanter saw Kevin Durant’s response and fired back on social media.
“Kevin Durant, since when did protecting women become political?” he questioned Durant.
“There is an ideology that wants to put: – Your daughters in the same showers as biological males. – Your sisters in the same locker rooms as biological males. – Your wives in the same bathrooms as biological males.”
“And here I am, putting my life on the line to fight against this evil ideology and protect future generations. Yet somehow, I’m the villain? Shame on you! This isn’t about politics. It’s about common sense, morality, and standing up for what’s right.
“But what would you expect from someone who turned his back on #Oklahoma to chase a ring? Kevin Durant, basketball doesn’t define you. One day, the game will end, the cheers will fade, and all that will remain is the man you chose to be,” Kanter Freedom wrote.
While Durant acknowledges the message behind what his former teammate is trying to do, as an athlete focused on what happens on the court, he categorizes Kanter’s political agenda as “noise.”
Major social and, frequently, political issues have kept the WNBA in the public eye throughout the year. But according to Durant, the league’s overall expansion shouldn’t be overshadowed by those controversies.
Instead, he contends they should be kept in perspective: women’s basketball players are building careers that go beyond the court, and the sport is drawing more spectators, capital, and business opportunities.