Screenshot via X
Enes Kanter Freedom announced on Friday that he would be declaring himself for the 2027 WNBA Draft after him and his team found a loophole to permit his entry into the women's league.
Freedom is a former basketball player who is now a right wing activist who has been outspoken in his criticism of trans athletes, with this latest ploy an attempt to undermine and satirise the sports framework around the trans issue.
In a post on X, Freedom said: "My team and I have carefully examined the WNBA’s eligibility criteria and governing framework surrounding self-identification and inclusion. Based on the current guidelines, I can and am officially declaring my eligibility for the upcoming WNBA Draft in April 2027.
"I know my presence on the court will stir up strong opinions. I am definitely not here to mock, make fun of, or disrespect any community or personal choices. 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."
The tweet has garnered huge levels of debate discourse with vociferous levels of support and criticism.
WNBA Rules Around Trans Athletes
WNBA logo
Article 13, Section 1 of the WNBA's collective bargaining agreement states that "only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA."
Article 34, Section 6 of the collective bargaining agreement lays out a prohibition on any form of discrimination or bias. It states that the league, the teams, and player unions cannot unfairly treat players "because of religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, or activity or lack of activity."
The WNBA has no official public policy on transgender athletes and their eligibility to play in the league, with the rules containing no mention of transgenders. There has only been one transgender athlete to compete in the sport in Layisha Clarendon, who enjoyed a 12-year career in the WNBA. However, she came out as trans and non-binary having already become an established player in the league for seven years, thus avoiding some of the controversy that would come the way of a trans athlete looking to break into the sport.
Those in favour of stricter rules argue there should be tests to determine an athlete's eligibility to compete. Proponents of this viewpoint often argue for the use of SRY gene tests, a method which was used at the World Athletics Championships last year.
Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter (13) gestures
However, testing athletes can lead to ethically and morally murky waters, often proving to be humiliating and dehumanising. Zambian footballer Barbra Branda suffered shocking levels of racist and anti-trans abuse after she failed a test which showed she had elevated levels of testosterone.
Whether it is right to test athletes, and often inflict embarrassment and chagrin on them in the process in order to work out their eligibility, is the controversial cornerstone in the trans debate in sport.
WNBA Statement
The WNBA released a statement on transgender athletes shortly after Freedom's declaration of intent, exalting the inclusive values that underpin the league while refusing to be part of a political statement.
Royce White
Royce White
"We embrace justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion," the statement read. "Those are the values that unite this Union and allow it to protect women's sports while creating transformational change. Hate, abuse, and demonisation 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."
Freedom's latest public display may have got him a lot of attention, but given the WNBA's vague rules on transgender athletes and their latest statement, particularly the last line of it which is a not so subtle aim at Freedom, it is unlikely we will see the former NBA player plying his trade in the WNBA anytime soon.