{"id":849718,"date":"2026-08-07T18:54:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T18:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/849718\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T18:54:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T18:54:15","slug":"former-nba-first-round-pick-enes-kanter-freedom-declares-for-2027-wnba-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/849718\/","title":{"rendered":"Former NBA first round pick Enes Kanter Freedom declares for 2027 WNBA Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Former NBA Draft first round pick (3rd overall in 2011) Enes Kanter Freedom, who has been an adamant opponent of LeBron James, the Chinese Communist Party, Nike, along with more political activism, which he believes blackballed him from the NBA, has officially declared himself a prospect for the 2027 WNBA<\/a> Draft. Yes, I\u2019m serious.<\/p>\n

In the aftermath of Sophie Cuningham making a definitive stance that women\u2019s sports should remain female, many coaches and players have opened up the floodgates for men in their league. Golden State Valkyries<\/a> forward Gabby Willliams even said, “I would welcome a trans athlete on my team or against my team any time.” Throughout this whole saga, the WNBA<\/a> has remained silent about protecting fairness in their league, so Freedom is putting their feet to the fire in a hilarious way.<\/p>\n

\"FILE <\/p>\n

FILE – In this March 19, 2018, file photo, New York Knicks center Enes Kanter (00) drives to the basket against the Chicago Bulls during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in New York. Kanter informed the Knicks on Friday, June 29, 2018, that he was opting into his contract for next season, rather than becoming a free agent. (AP Photo\/Julie Jacobson, File) (\u00a0)<\/p>\n

JD VANCE PRAISES SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM FOR ‘SAVE WOMEN’S SPORTS’ ACTIVISM<\/a><\/p>\n

“If simply declaring who you are is all that\u2019s required, then I meet every requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA<\/a>,” Freedom stated in a social media post seated behind a studio desk wearing an orange WNBA sweatshirt with the Nike logo crossed out.<\/p>\n

Outkick contributor Riley Gaines called the declaration “genius” and “perfect”, while sarcastically saying, “Waiting to see which WNBA team recruits Enes Freedom.”<\/p>\n

Freedom, who hasn\u2019t played in the NBA since being waived by the Houston Rockets<\/a> in 2022 following a trade from the Boston Celtics went on to say, “My team and I have carefully reviewed the WNBA\u2019s eligibility criteria and government framework surrounding self identification and inclusion.”<\/p>\n

According to Freedom, “Based on the current guidelines, I can and am officially declaring my eligibility for the upcoming WNBA Draft in May 2027.”<\/p>\n

\"Cheryl <\/p>\n

Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve reacts in the second half against the Indiana Fever at Target Center on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. (Star Tribune via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

TRUMP’S REMARKS ON RECRUITING LEBRON JAMES TO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL RESURFACE AMID WNBA TRANS ATHLETE DEBATE<\/a><\/p>\n

The way I see it, what makes this any different than Lia Thomas at UPenn<\/a>? When going by the name Will Thomas, he spent three seasons on the men\u2019s team before transitioning to the female team and division.<\/p>\n

The WNBA has also undoubtedly asked for this. Now is the time for them to put their money where their mouth is. If you\u2019re really so “inclusive,” you should have no problem with this.<\/p>\n

If he identifies as a woman, who are they to tell him who he is? Who are they to tell him if this is genuine or not? This is a great way to put their feet to the fire. It has the opportunity to show that all of this “trans acceptance” talk is just virtue signaling.<\/p>\n

“I am definitely not here to mock, make fun of, or disrespect any community or personal choices,” Freedom added. “I\u2019m 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.”<\/p>\n

\"2023 <\/p>\n

A view of the Wilson ball before the 2023 WNBA Draft on April 10, 2023 at Spring Studios in New York, New York. (Michelle Farsi\/NBAE via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

WNBA STAR SAYS SHE WOULD WELCOME A TRANS PLAYER TO HER TEAM, AND THEN SAYS SOMETHING EVEN DUMBER<\/a><\/p>\n

Bingo! That is exactly right.<\/p>\n

Players like Gabby Williams, Lynx<\/a> coach Cheryl Reeve, Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase<\/a>, Seattle Storm center Stefanie Dolson, and the majority of WNBA fans have made it clear they are supportive of men in women\u2019s sports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Freedom wrapped up his WNBA Draft announcement stating, “My team and I are prepared to ensure these guidelines are applied equally, consistently, and without exception, and I look forward to the WNBA honoring its stated principles. See you at training camp.” The WNBA will now have to put their foot down to protect the fairness, integrity and safety of their league, or allow their progressive politics to ruin it.<\/p>\n

\"Cathy <\/p>\n

Not one WNBA “reporter” asked Commissioner Cathy Engelbert about Sophie Cunningham’s stance on trans-identifying athletes. (TNS)<\/p>\n

This whole situation will be hilarious to witness. If the league allows Freedom to be eligible, irrationally sticking to their anti-women progressive politics, but no team drafts Freedom in April 2027, it could be seen as discrimination. If they say their sport is for females only, they run into the fury of their liberal foundation, which many of their fans, players, and coaches hold to.<\/p>\n

This\u2019ll be a great way to expose the hypocrisy or idiocy of the progressive movement ingrained in the league.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n

Your move, WNBA.<\/p>\n

Jon is a writer and content creator for OutKick<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former NBA Draft first round pick (3rd overall in 2011) Enes Kanter Freedom, who has been an adamant…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":849719,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[49,48,2803,459,231762,295571,82,630],"class_list":["post-849718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-indiana-fever","tag-nba","tag-outkick-sports","tag-riley-gaines-podcast","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=849718"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849718\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/849719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=849718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=849718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=849718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}