Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom will not be eligible to play in the WNBA after declaring his intention to enter the league’s 2027 draft, according to multiple reports Monday.
Multiple outlets reported that the league considers Kanter Freedom ineligible, along with fellow former NBA player Royce White, who also recently said he planned to enter the draft and that he identifies as a woman.
The WNBA has not formally announced eligibility rulings for either player. Its new collective bargaining agreement states that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA,” but does not further define the term or include specific language addressing gender identity or sex assigned at birth.
A league source characterized the declarations by Kanter Freedom and White as “simply publicity stunts” to Front Office Sports, which also reported that the league does not believe it currently faces any legitimate and immediate eligibility matter requiring action.
The reports came one day after Kanter Freedom was ejected from Wintrust Arena during Sunday’s game between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever.
Kanter Freedom was seated courtside wearing a shirt that read “WOMAN noun. adult human female.” During a timeout late in the third quarter, Sky guard Natasha Cloud exchanged words with him near the baseline. Kanter Freedom stood and moved toward the court before security intervened and escorted him from the arena.
Cloud did not address the incident with reporters afterward. A Sky spokesperson told Front Office Sports that Cloud spoke with team and league security.
Kanter Freedom, 34, played 11 NBA seasons and last appeared in the league in 2022. He has remained politically active since the end of his playing career and recently joined the debate over transgender participation in women’s sports.
It remains unclear whether Sunday’s removal will affect Kanter Freedom’s ability to attend future WNBA games. The league has not yet announced plans to bar him from its arenas.
–Field Level Media
