Basketball Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller has strongly criticized former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White after both announced their intention to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft.
Freedom and White made the declarations amid the ongoing debate over transgender athletes competing in women's sports, drawing criticism from Miller over the way they chose to address the issue.
Speaking to TMZ at LAX on Tuesday, Miller made it clear she had little interest in entertaining their approach to the issue.
"I'm not giving them, those two, in particular, a whole lot of thought, because there's outsiders looking to hijack our network," Miller said. "It's horrible energy. It's horrible energy."
Miller tells former NBA players to "shut that noise up"
Miller said she previously would have welcomed both former NBA players courtside at a WNBA game, but their recent statements have changed her perspective.
"I would have loved to see these two sitting courtside, you know, watching the game 30 years ago, 20 years ago, 5 years ago, 5 minutes ago," Miller said.
"But now all of a sudden, y'all got a collective think tank? Man, shut that noise up."
The controversy surrounding Freedom and White has added to a wider debate around transgender participation in women's basketball. The WNBA has been preparing further internal discussions on the subject amid increased public attention.
Miller calls for discussions in offseason
Despite her strong response to Freedom and White, Miller acknowledged that the transgender athlete issue is something basketball authorities will eventually have to address.
However, she believes those discussions should take place calmly and away from the current controversy.
"I would definitely let cooler heads prevail right now," Miller told TMZ.
"We want to protect everyone. And we don't want to exclude anyone, but I just think we all have to sit down in the off-season and collectively get our heads and minds around this issue. Obviously, it's a hotbed."
Miller, one of the most influential figures in women's basketball history, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995.