According to a source, former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White will not be eligible for the upcoming WNBA draft. The decision was reported anonymously to The Associated Press due to the sensitivity surrounding the issue.
While Freedom and White announced their intentions to enter next year’s WNBA draft, the league has not made a public statement regarding their eligibility status. The WNBA is currently engaged in discussions about the participation of transgender women—those who were assigned male at birth and have transitioned to female—in the league. To date, there has been no transgender player in the WNBA.
The league’s collective bargaining agreement specifies that the WNBA is limited to women but lacks detailed language regarding gender identity or sex assigned at birth. Freedom and White, both identifying as women, expressed their desire to join the draft. Freedom, who is 6-foot-10 and weighs 250 pounds, had an 11-season career in the NBA. White participated in three NBA games.
In a recent incident, Freedom was removed from the court during the Indiana-Chicago game following a confrontation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud. The altercation occurred late in the third quarter while Freedom was sitting courtside, wearing a shirt with “WOMAN noun. adult human female.” written on it.
“I just got kicked out of a @WNBA game for supporting WOMEN! Let that sink in, AMERICA!”
Cloud, after scoring and celebrating with teammate Aicha Coulibaly, approached Freedom while shouting and pointing. Security intervened, and Freedom was escorted off as he attempted to explain his position to security personnel. He later commented on social media about his ejection.
Post-game, Cloud consulted with team and league security but did not engage with the media. Discussions about transgender athletes in women’s sports gained traction after Fever guard Sophie Cunningham expressed her opposition. She stated these views in a recent ESPN feature, which has since sparked debates within the league. Freedom was also present at a rally before the game, supporting Cunningham’s stance.
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