Following repeated claims in recent months that he is identifying as a woman in order to enter the WNBA draft, Enes Kanter Freedom says he is planning to show up at State Farm Arena on Wednesday to watch the Dream host the Golden State Valkyries in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals.
Kanter Freedom will apparently do so in a bad mood, though, after WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, in a letter sent to five Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives last Friday, declared that he is not a woman and therefore ineligible to enter the WNBA draft.
“With respect to your questions regarding eligibility, only women are eligible to play
in the WNBA and the individuals you cite in your letter are both men,” Engelbert wrote, referring to Kanter Freedom and fellow ex-NBA player Royce White, who is also attempting to enter the draft by identifying as a woman.
Last month, House Republicans Marlin Stutzman (Indiana), Sheri Biggs (South Carolina), Erin Houchin (Indiana), John Rose (Tennessee), and Zach Nunn (Iowa) signed on to a letter that asked the WNBA why it would not allow White and Kanter Freedom to potentially play because the league does not have specific language in its collective bargaining agreement to define what a woman is.
Since Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham went viral in July for speaking out against trans athletes participating in women’s and girls sports, Kanter Freedom and White have been testing the limits of the WNBA CBA, which currently states that only women are allowed to participate in the league but stops short of explicitly detailing a criteria for someone to be deemed a woman.
Kanter Freedom reacted to the recent letter sent by Engelbert in a series of tweets from his X account on Tuesday afternoon:
“IS THE #WNBA TRANSPHOBIC?” Kanter wrote in one tweet. “Apparently, the WNBA still can’t define what a WOMAN is, but they’re absolutely certain they know what a MAN is!
“How convenient! WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has declared that I am a man.
“Who gave her the authority to decide who I am? Who gets to define my identity? And how can the WNBA determine who is a man without explaining what qualifies someone as a woman?
“Is the WNBA denying people the right to define their own gender identity? You can’t have it both ways!”
Despite there not being a trans athlete on a WNBA roster in the 30 years of the league’s existence, debate about the topic has raged on since Cunningham’s initial comments in July.
As for Kanter Freedom’s involvement, things reached a boiling point after he sat front row at a game between the Chicago Sky and Cunningham’s Indiana Fever in late August. Sky guard Natasha Cloud confronted Kanter Freedom, and the ex-NBA forward was eventually ejected from the arena.
That tense moment led to Kanter Freedom eventually filing a federal lawsuit in Illinois against the Chicago Sky, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, and the City of Chicago, as he alleged the ejection violated his first amendment rights.
In another tweet shared on his account Tuesday, Kanter Freedom posted a video that contained screenshots of death threats made toward him online after his announcement that he would be heading to Atlanta to attend Game 3 of the Finals. Despite the threats, Kanter Freedom says he still plans to show up for the matchup between the Dream and Valkyries on Wednesday.
“What’s up, Atlanta?” Kanter Freedom wrote. “I heard y’all loud and clear. Let me remind y’all one thing, I fear God and God alone. See y’all tomorrow…”
The Dream tied the best-of-7 WNBA Finals series at 1-1 behind Angel Reese’s 30 points and 16 rebounds during a 79-65 victory in San Francisco on Monday night, setting up what should be a raucous environment inside State Farm Arena on Wednesday.
Will Kanter Freedom’s expected attendance cause another viral moment and distract from the game like it did in Chicago back in August?
The WNBA certainly wants to avoid that, but it might be inevitable if the attention-seeking Kanter Freedom finds his way to a seat that is close to the court.
