Enes Kanter Freedom was tossed out of Sunday’s game between the Fever and Sky after stepping past a row of photographers and towards the court. He delivered a message to Sky player Natasha Cloud, claiming, “I’m just here to protect women, and that’s all.” But according to X user B.W. Carlin, Kanter seems to think he can protect women in sports by just showing up and yelling at them during their games. What really went down reveals a lot more than just a courtside ejection.
A Bizarre Stunt, A Shaky Defense
Kanter’s real goal during Sunday’s game wasn’t about helping female athletes. He clearly succeeded in acting like enough of an idiot to draw attention to himself, getting security to escort him out. It looks like he was just advancing his own reach as a conservative political pundit, not making any actual difference for the players. As Evan Turner simply put it, “Enes, What are you doing brother?” It’s a fair question, especially when the whole stunt felt so manufactured.
“Protecting Women” Without Knowing Any Names
Outside the arena on Sunday, other anti-trans protesters were there, supporting Kanter and Fever player Sophie Cunningham. Sportico actually interviewed some of these folks and asked them to name five WNBA players. Guess what? Consistently, they could only repeat the names Cunningham and Caitlin Clark. Seriously? While you don’t need a knowledge test to care about women’s sports, if you’re going to loudly declare your support, you should probably have at least a sliver of interest in the sport or the women who play it. Those protesters obviously don’t care about the WNBA, and their entire argument just falls apart under any scrutiny.
The Truth Comes Out
It’s not just the protesters. Many players and coaches across the WNBA, including Cloud on Sunday, have been vocal with messages of inclusion and support for the transgender community. And here’s the kicker: there are currently zero transgender athletes even close to entering the league. So why is this even a WNBA discussion? Fox News political commentator Jesse Watters had a “mask-off” moment, admitting, “I hate the WNBA.” He said they are “creating victims” and using women’s sports “to get engagement,” adding, “They don’t want it to be solved. They want the issue always on the table.” Watters even declared, “We get paid to have an opinion about everything… And this is something I don’t care about. It doesn’t matter. There will not be a man in the WNBA. We don’t even cover the NBA.” Kanter himself has repeatedly claimed that men would immediately dominate the sport if they were allowed to compete as transgender women.
So what’s next? The WNBA and its players seem pretty clear on where they stand, promoting inclusion and support. But this whole episode, from Kanter’s ejection to the protesters’ lack of knowledge and Watters’ blunt honesty, shows there’s a serious disconnect between some outside agendas and what’s actually happening on the court.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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