The WNBA fired back on Wednesday, Aug. 12, at former Portland Trail Blazer Enes Kanter Freedom and another ex-NBA player who declared themselves eligible for the league's 2027 draft, calling their actions part of a "bad-faith" effort to stoke a transgender athlete controversy that has already spilled into Moda Center.
A league spokesperson said in a statement reported by KOIN that there are "no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA" and that the league "strongly denounce[s] the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others."
The statement landed hours after the WNBA's anti-hate task force met virtually to discuss social media vitriol directed at players and the broader transgender athlete debate.
Kanter Freedom's Portland ties
Kanter Freedom, 34, stands 6-foot-10 and played two stints with the Blazers. He appeared in 23 games during the 2018-19 season, averaging 13.1 points and 8.6 rebounds, then returned for 72 games in 2020-21, putting up 11.2 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. He has not played professionally since February 2022.
On Aug. 10, Kanter Freedom posted a video showing himself signing a formal document asking the WNBA to accept his "decision to enter the player pool for the 2027 WNBA Draft," according to the New York Post. He first announced his intentions on Aug. 7.
"If simply declaring who you are is all that's required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA," Kanter Freedom said in the video.
He added that he was not trying to mock anyone but was asking that the league's rules be applied equally.
Former NBA first-round pick Royce White, a Republican who sought the U.S. Senate nomination in Minnesota, made a similar declaration hours after Kanter Freedom's Aug. 7 announcement. White told Fox News he identifies "as sometimes identifying as a woman for purpose of basketball" and plans to "exploit that for my economic and athletic benefit."
The WNBA's collective bargaining agreement states that "only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA" but includes no specific language about gender identity or sex assigned at birth. No transgender woman has ever appeared on a WNBA roster. The draft is not until April 2027.
Portland already felt the heat
The controversy hit Portland directly on July 31, when about two dozen protesters rallied outside Moda Center before the Portland Fire hosted the Indiana Fever. The rally supported Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who said in a July article in The Athletic that barring transgender athletes from women's sports is "common sense."
The Moda Center crowd booed Cunningham when she entered the game midway through the first quarter. Fans waved small pink, blue and white transgender flags. The Portland Mercury reported that some Fire fans were asked to leave the arena for refusing to change shirts bearing anti-transphobia messages.
Fire fan Jaycee Richey told KPTV the protests sickened her because she loves the WNBA and was excited for the expansion team's first season, saying the outside groups were "ruining what should be a really fun Friday night game."
The Fever won that game 112-98.
What's next for the Fire
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert sent a memo to team presidents on Aug. 8 saying the league would hold additional discussions and listening sessions on the topic. The league's Aug. 12 statement said it will "continue to engage all league stakeholders in the coming weeks and months."
The Portland Fire (13-19) sit ninth in the standings, 5½ games behind the eighth-place Dallas Wings with 10 games remaining. After hosting Minnesota on Wednesday, Aug. 12, the Fire travel to Seattle on Friday, Aug. 14, and Phoenix on Sunday, Aug. 16.
