The WNBA has officially shut down any talk of Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White stepping onto a WNBA court, ruling both former NBA players ineligible for the 2027 WNBA Draft. This decision, reported by Colin Salao of Front Office Sports, comes after Freedom and White jokingly claimed to identify as women and expressed a desire to play in the league. It all kicked off amidst the ongoing transgender athlete discussion, which Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham re-ignited when she spoke out against transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports in an ESPN article.
The League Makes Its Stance Crystal Clear
Honestly, anyone with a brain knew this was a troll from both Freedom and White from the jump. Still, the WNBA decided to take it seriously enough to issue a formal ruling. “Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White are not eligible to play in the WNBA, league sources tell Front Office Sports,” Salao confirmed. So, if you were holding out hope for Freedom to suit up against the Storm (if this was a Seattle story, which it’s not, but you get the idea), that dream is officially dead. The league has drawn its line, and it’s super clear where they stand on the whole situation.
Ejection After Heated Exchange With Natasha Cloud
As if being told “nah, you can’t play” wasn’t enough, Freedom had an absolutely wild night recently. He showed up to the Sunday night game between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky and somehow got himself ejected from the arena! Seriously, how does that even happen when you’re just a spectator? Apparently, it all went sideways after a heated verbal exchange with Sky guard Natasha Cloud. What a look for the former NBA big man.
Freedom tried to spin his side of the story to FOX News. He claimed he put his hands up to celebrate after Sophie Cunningham hit a three-pointer. Then, a couple possessions later, Cloud allegedly came back screaming, “She’s not gonna sleep with you.” Freedom says he shot back, “I am not trying to sleep with her. I’m just here to protect women and support her.” He insists Cloud kept “yapping” and started walking towards him, at which point he got up and repeated, “I’m just here to protect women, and that’s all.” Cloud wasn’t the only one fed up with him that night, either. Before the game even started, Freedom was getting shouted down by detractors as he walked into the arena. What a rough day for the dude. Now, after getting shut down by the WNBA, Freedom is taking yet another “L.”
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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