Page 6 | 6’10” former Knicks and Celtics star formerly declares for the WNBA draft

LesbianNana · 2026-08-07T22:58:11+00:00

I can’t wait to see who drafts my girl Enes Kanter Freedom. 😂 In a video, the former *[[https://www.dailymail.com/sport/new-york-knicks/index.html New York Knicks]]* and *[[https://www.dailymail.com/sport/boston-celtics/index.html Boston Celtics]]* star said: 'After careful consideration and reviewing the current eligibility guidelines, I’m officially declaring myself a @WNBA prospect. 'If simply declaring who you are is all that’s required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA. 'My team and I have carefully examined the WNBA’s eligibility criteria and governing framework surrounding self-identification and inclusion. Based on the current guidelines, I can and am officially declaring my eligibility for the upcoming WNBA draft in April 2027.” ”See you at training camp.” [[https://www.dailymail.com/sport/wnba/article-16037187/enkanter-wnba-draft-trans-debate.html https://www.dailymail.com/sport/wnba/article-16037187/enkanter-wnba-draft-trans-debate.html]]

Lougle · 10/08/2026 07:35

This is going to be easily fixed when the WNBA makes a statement to clarify that only biological women can compete. That will be easy to do if, in fact, they mean women when they say women.

It doesn't matter why these individuals are signing up The issue is that they shouldn't be able to, so the WNBA needs to fix that. They should be grateful that they've exposed an unintentional ambiguity in their policies, surely?

Helleofabore · 10/08/2026 07:52

There is a sense that the only male people who have withstood public scrutiny and been through ad hominem attacks in the past are the ones who feel they have nothing to lose in making a stand for whatever motivation.

However, considering the abuse the teenaged female basketballers and other teenaged female athletes in other sports get when they step up after being negatively impacted, it is remarkable that any athlete speaks up.

It obviously is a situation where there is no ‘right’ person, ‘right’ way or ‘right’ time. And there is always another more important issue to take priority.

DearCrow · 10/08/2026 07:55

From reading the Collective Bargaining Agreement between WNBA and WNBPA as a whole it seems extremely unlikely that this intends to define "women" as including men who call themselves women. There are provisions for pregnancy and childbirth. There are references to women's health experts. There is a stated goal of promoting women's empowerment.

The wording of "only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA" has been in the CBA since it was first agreed in 1999, and repeated verbatim in each renegotiation. There is no chance whatsoever that this included male transsexuals back in the 90s, and there is no evidence to indicate that this means something different now.

Also, there have been two trans-identifying WNBA players in recent years: Layshia Clarendon and Asia Durr, each of whom declared herself to be "non-binary". They weren't kicked out of the league, but continued competing, as the women they are. This in itself shows the CBA intends "women" to be read as actual female women.

So I don't buy any of these arguments that the WNBA haven't precisely defined "women" therefore men who say they're women can be drafted. The definition is clear from both context and practice.

BlessingYou · 10/08/2026 07:57

Helleofabore · 10/08/2026 06:53

So, of course female athletes should a protected sports category, but it should be done at the right time that everyone agrees on, and it should only ever be the right people involved and the correct way to do it.

Yes… we understand.

In the meantime, have you been defending Sophie Cunningham’s right to have spoken out. I believe she did it used a gentle approach. Or is she the ‘wrong’ person too?

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Who is “we”?

So I suppose you have no problem with the underhand way that OutKick have done this, then. OK.

I’m talking about this, not SC. Do I need to prove my purity by having a proper opinion on all things, then? Do I need to have been outspoken on one thing to speak out an another? Seems weird. As it happens, I think she has been a courageous woman and hope she continues so.

spannasaurus · 10/08/2026 07:59

If the WNBAs policy is that woman in the eligibility rules means adult human female then why don't they just make a statement to confirm that.

selffellatingouroborosofhate · 10/08/2026 08:07

Imdunfer · 08/08/2026 06:28

What a lovely, lovely man, to stick his head so far above the parapet in support of women athletes.

Given how tall he is, it could be a very long way above the parapet.

BlessingYou · 10/08/2026 08:16

nicepotoftea · 10/08/2026 07:07

If the rules are unclear, it is an issue that requires addressing.

If you are seriously suggesting that the WNBA should wait until an athlete is at the centre of the storm, you are not a sincere advocate for anyone's rights.

it should not be right wing or left wing to assert that competitive sport should be fair. Goodness knows why the left have decided to give the right such an open goal.

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No, it shouldn’t. A media organisation shouldn’t resort to deception and trickery to force the WNBA’s hand, either - either right, centre or left.

SirChenjins · 10/08/2026 08:23

spannasaurus · 10/08/2026 07:59

If the WNBAs policy is that woman in the eligibility rules means adult human female then why don't they just make a statement to confirm that.

Because it's just so nuanced and complex - and besides, men want to take part so 🤷‍♀️

Chersfrozenface · 10/08/2026 08:25

DearCrow · 10/08/2026 07:55

From reading the Collective Bargaining Agreement between WNBA and WNBPA as a whole it seems extremely unlikely that this intends to define "women" as including men who call themselves women. There are provisions for pregnancy and childbirth. There are references to women's health experts. There is a stated goal of promoting women's empowerment.

The wording of "only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA" has been in the CBA since it was first agreed in 1999, and repeated verbatim in each renegotiation. There is no chance whatsoever that this included male transsexuals back in the 90s, and there is no evidence to indicate that this means something different now.

Also, there have been two trans-identifying WNBA players in recent years: Layshia Clarendon and Asia Durr, each of whom declared herself to be "non-binary". They weren't kicked out of the league, but continued competing, as the women they are. This in itself shows the CBA intends "women" to be read as actual female women.

So I don't buy any of these arguments that the WNBA haven't precisely defined "women" therefore men who say they're women can be drafted. The definition is clear from both context and practice.

Enes Kanter Freedom says specifically (my bolding)
"My team and I have carefully examined the WNBA’s eligibility criteria and governing framework surrounding self-identification and inclusion. Based on the current guidelines, I can and am officially declaring my eligibility for the upcoming WNBA draft in April 2027.”

As numerous media outlets, including the Guardian, have noted, the collective bargaining agreement does not include any more specific language about gender identity or sex assigned at birth.

So the WNBA's agreement does not say categorically that only biological women are eligible.

It may well have wanted to avoid stating a position until a trans identifying male claimed eligibility. Well, several now have - they say they are trans and as they point out, saying it is all that's needed.

nicepotoftea · 10/08/2026 08:27

BlessingYou · 10/08/2026 08:16

No, it shouldn’t. A media organisation shouldn’t resort to deception and trickery to force the WNBA’s hand, either - either right, centre or left.

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What hand is being forced?

The work has already been done by other organisations. It's a simple rule to confirm.

Again, do you think it's better that they wait until a player is at the centre of the drama? I think the compassionate thing to do is to make the rules clear for everyone. The only reason to avoid this is cowardice.

nicepotoftea · 10/08/2026 08:29

DearCrow · 10/08/2026 07:55

From reading the Collective Bargaining Agreement between WNBA and WNBPA as a whole it seems extremely unlikely that this intends to define "women" as including men who call themselves women. There are provisions for pregnancy and childbirth. There are references to women's health experts. There is a stated goal of promoting women's empowerment.

The wording of "only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA" has been in the CBA since it was first agreed in 1999, and repeated verbatim in each renegotiation. There is no chance whatsoever that this included male transsexuals back in the 90s, and there is no evidence to indicate that this means something different now.

Also, there have been two trans-identifying WNBA players in recent years: Layshia Clarendon and Asia Durr, each of whom declared herself to be "non-binary". They weren't kicked out of the league, but continued competing, as the women they are. This in itself shows the CBA intends "women" to be read as actual female women.

So I don't buy any of these arguments that the WNBA haven't precisely defined "women" therefore men who say they're women can be drafted. The definition is clear from both context and practice.

Then all they need to do is confirm their position.

NotBadConsidering · 10/08/2026 08:32

Lougle · 10/08/2026 07:35

This is going to be easily fixed when the WNBA makes a statement to clarify that only biological women can compete. That will be easy to do if, in fact, they mean women when they say women.

It doesn't matter why these individuals are signing up The issue is that they shouldn't be able to, so the WNBA needs to fix that. They should be grateful that they've exposed an unintentional ambiguity in their policies, surely?

This is going to be easily fixed when the WNBA makes a statement to clarify that only biological women can compete. That will be easy to do if, in fact, they mean women when they say women.

If they do that, watch how quickly TRAs switch from “there are no trans women in the WNBA so it isn’t a problem!”

to

“The WNBA is so transphobic for banning trans women from ever competing!”

That’s why this is so glorious. Of course it’s bait. Because the entirety of trans ideology is one big hypocritical fish.

BlessingYou · 10/08/2026 08:39

Clay Travis contacted Tetart directly. Even though Tetart never said formally “I wish to play in the WNBA”, Clay created a firestorm anyway. Below is from an article on FoxNews:

Tétart told OutKick/Fox News Digital that playing in the WNBA is "a childhood dream" and said, "If they contact me, I won’t say no."
So, OutKick/Fox News Digital asked the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association a simple question: Would Julie Tétart be eligible to play in the league?
Neither organization responded to the initial inquiries or a subsequent follow-up specifically addressing Tétart’s eligibility under the collective bargaining agreement…
At that point, the league could treat the question as theoretical.
It isn’t theoretical anymore.
Tétart gives the WNBA a concrete case: a professional player in a women’s league who led LF2 in scoring and rebounding and has publicly expressed interest in the WNBA.
Would the WNBA consider Tétart a "woman" for purposes of Article XIII?

This is far outside journalistic ethics. Activist ethics? Maybe. But not journalists.

selffellatingouroborosofhate · 10/08/2026 08:42

Helleofabore · 10/08/2026 06:04

And yet, male athletes who wish to compete as female athletes in any female sporting category which has a policy that allows them to play don’t have to pass any political alignment test.

You and others can make all the accusations you wish about how these athletes are not the right kind of people. It is all irrelevant.

It is irrelevant because the issue is there and they are bringing attention to it. Sophie Cunningham has been receiving abusive harassment for simply saying she supports female sports categories being protected.

Tell us. Who are the right people to get the WNBA to act?

Or…. Do we all have to wait for a male person with a transgender identity to be playing at elite level ? Oh… right. And then everyone who tried to get the WNBA to act would be called a bigot anyway. So isn’t it far better that not one player is being focused on specidically to be removed from the league?

If your only comeback is ‘but it is causing division’, then you have nothing but weak and emotionally manipulative reasoning. Is it causing division? Yes. Because it always was going to be a divisive issue, hence some sporting federation lack the courage to do anything to protect female athletes.

Plus the ultimate outcome is ‘division’ because that is how protected sports categories work! How the fuck can you have a protected sports category for female people if the policy allows male athletes to compete.

And by the way, are you now demonising any of the female tennis players for their political views for saying that they support the same sex screening and policy that Sophie Cunningham was agreeing with? Or is it just because these basketballers are the ‘wrong type’ of people according to your political criteria and the blame rests on them because you feel you can demonise them while ignoring the fact that there are sporting federations who still have not protected female sporting categories?

Sounds more like you, personally, don’t believe female people should have a protected sports category.

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male athletes who wish to compete as female athletes in any female sporting category which has a policy that allows them to play don’t have to pass any political alignment test.

Right-wing cheats are cheats. Left-wing cheats are stunning and brave, right?

Do we all have to wait for a male person with a transgender identity to be playing at elite level ? Oh… right. And then everyone who tried to get the WNBA to act would be called a bigot anyway. So isn’t it far better that not one player is being focused on specifically to be removed from the league?

Exactly this. The public humiliation endured by a certain Mr Semenya could have been avoided completely, had World Athletics made it clear that female category runners would be cheek swab tested before South Africa fielded him on their team. It is kinder and fairer all around to prevent the male players from getting into female sports than to remove them afterwards.

nicepotoftea · 10/08/2026 08:43

BlessingYou · 10/08/2026 08:39

Clay Travis contacted Tetart directly. Even though Tetart never said formally “I wish to play in the WNBA”, Clay created a firestorm anyway. Below is from an article on FoxNews:

Tétart told OutKick/Fox News Digital that playing in the WNBA is "a childhood dream" and said, "If they contact me, I won’t say no."
So, OutKick/Fox News Digital asked the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association a simple question: Would Julie Tétart be eligible to play in the league?
Neither organization responded to the initial inquiries or a subsequent follow-up specifically addressing Tétart’s eligibility under the collective bargaining agreement…
At that point, the league could treat the question as theoretical.
It isn’t theoretical anymore.
Tétart gives the WNBA a concrete case: a professional player in a women’s league who led LF2 in scoring and rebounding and has publicly expressed interest in the WNBA.
Would the WNBA consider Tétart a "woman" for purposes of Article XIII?

This is far outside journalistic ethics. Activist ethics? Maybe. But not journalists.

And the WNBA could shut it all down by confirming their policy, which would given certainty to everyone.

nicepotoftea · 10/08/2026 08:48

As I said earlier, it would be helpful if organisations like the NBA could confirm that they are as welcoming to trans identifying men as women's sports have been welcoming to trans identifying women.

That is the inclusion that we are actually lacking.

selffellatingouroborosofhate · 10/08/2026 08:52

BlessingYou · 10/08/2026 08:16

No, it shouldn’t. A media organisation shouldn’t resort to deception and trickery to force the WNBA’s hand, either - either right, centre or left.

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You say "deception and trickery", I say "satire and mockery".

AsHot · 10/08/2026 08:53

LuckyAzureBird · 09/08/2026 22:50

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Royce White is subject to a no-contact order after a Minnesota judge ruled there was credible evidence of threats of harm toward his ex-wife and one of two children they have together.
In court filings, White is accused of making numerous threats and being both physically and verbally abusive toward his former partner and their teenaged son. He refutes the allegations and is appealing judicial findings in the case, telling MPR News on Thursday the order is a “substantial miscarriage of justice” and “excessively punitive.”
White, a former professional basketball player who later became an online conservative activist, is running for the Senate for a second time. He was the GOP’s Senate nominee in 2024 but faces stiff party competition this time from former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya, former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze, past Republican Party Chair David Hann and others.
The protective order against White was granted by a judge on Feb. 17 after a preliminary order was issued in December. The order requires White to stay a quarter mile away from his ex-wife and their son, including at their home, her place of work and the boy’s school. The judge did not apply the restriction to White’s daughter because a burden of proof was not met to suggest abuse or imminent threats against her.
The order for protection is in effect for 50 years in relation to his former partner and two years for the son. It also requires White to attend domestic abuse programming, undergo a mental health evaluation and comply with treatment recommendations.
Hennepin County District Court Judge Kristen Marttila wrote that White’s ex-wife “is plainly in fear” of him and “appeared to the court to be utterly at a loss for how else to gain peace from him.”

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/04/23/us-senate-candidate-royce-white-is-under-order-to-avoid-ex-wife-their-son-over-threats

Best hope that if Ms White breaches the order and is sent to prison it'll be a women's one, eh? Would be literal genocide if not.

Helleofabore · 10/08/2026 08:55

BlessingYou · 10/08/2026 08:16

No, it shouldn’t. A media organisation shouldn’t resort to deception and trickery to force the WNBA’s hand, either - either right, centre or left.

Show quote history

There goes a stream of undercover investigative journalism then.

Datun · 10/08/2026 09:02

All they have to do is confirm that woman means biological woman. It's one sentence, it takes 30 seconds.

The very fact that their statement doesn't do that is telling. Either they do include men, or they're too shit scared to say they don't.

So I don't give a flying fuck if they're being baited to come clean.

Women across the globe being hopelessly shafted by this ideology and now we have to contend with criticism of a challenge in case it might be ethically dubious??

For fuck's sake, what does it bloody well take.

Northbynorthbest · 10/08/2026 09:04

HappilyHarriet · 08/08/2026 07:47

Brilliant! Reminds me of the DH of a mumsnetter who tried to join the WI - it exposes the ridiculousness of the rules and definitions. Good luck to them.

Would love to read about this!

fromorbit · 10/08/2026 09:16

BlessingYou · 10/08/2026 02:23

This seems to have been stirred up by, yes, a right-wing sporting activist group called OutKick (Riley Gaines is also part of this group, and they appear on the Fox network.) The quote below is from Forbes.

The current push to solidify the eligibility requirements comes after Cunningham who has been described as "MAGA Barbie" online, last month said she wants to "protect women's sports" and doesn't think people born male should be allowed into the league. Her remarks have since triggered small rallies both supporting and opposing her at WNBA games, and gained more visibility after OutKick sent a direct message to transgender French basketball player Julie Tétart asking if she'd like to play in the WNBA. Tétart, a 34-year-old who plays for Monaco in second-tier French women's basketball Ligue 2, said it would be a dream come true but reportedly added, “you have to be realistic: I'm old, and there are far better players than me!" OutKick then published an article slamming the “inclusive” WNBA for not having called up the player after her dominating season in France’s second division, and Outkick founder Clay Travis called the league "transphobic" on X.

So, Clay Travis of OutKick is actually challenging the WNBA here. He asked Julie Tetart, rather than the other way around, He doesn’t believe what he is saying (you need only go to his X profile to see that). It is entirely possible that the men that have come forward for the draft have been paid to do so.

It’s a clumsy, divisive way to force change for the WNBA, particularly as there are no current male players at all. It isn’t even an issue that required addressing.

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Actually this whole media drama was created by a "liberal" media outlet ESPN. They did an interview with Sophie Cunningham 20 days ago ago where they asked her about her knowledge about female biology and girl's locker rooms being mixed sex . She had gone on record back in 2022 saying yes she thought there was such a thing as male and females sexes. At that time she didn't publicise it, just said yes women and women's sports are a thing. Because they actually are.

ESPN did a piece about how controversial Sophie was which explained her life story and her world view. It is a good article, and as part of that they decided to question her about her thoughts about women's sports and guess what she said the same thing. They did this because they knew it would make article more dramatic and they knew it would make them MONEY. It also happened to be the truth. This is what she said.

Love her or hate her, Sophie Cunningham won't be ignored

You say she's authentic? That's because she is, she says. "You see so many people change or try to fit into a box," she says. "I don't even know what that box is. It's a fake box. Everyone wants to look the same. Everyone wants the same vibe. Screw that. I'm gonna be me."

You say she's a "MAGA Barbie," as some corners of the internet have taken to calling her? Projection, she says, because of what she looks like and where she's from. She'll weigh in on how to "protect women's sports," she says, because she's in that world and feels qualified to speak to that world. "I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I'm like, 'I never once said that,'" she says. "I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn't have to go against biological men."

But she also insists that none of this is some Rosetta Stone to unlocking the true nature of her political worldview.

"I'm very much in the middle. I agree with things on both sides, disagree with things on both sides. And that's all I've ever said about my political beliefs. But people love to assume."

https://www.espn.co.uk/wnba/story/_/id/49306657/sophie-cunningham-finger-point-indiana-fever-wnba

Only this time a lot of "liberal" media outlets repeated what Sophie said claiming she was transphobic, right leaning outlets then said she was a hero standing up for reality. The ESPN interview went viral. From that point it became huge news .Then there were protests and counter protests. Then some men got involved.

We have a thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5558154-us-womens-sports-star-sophie-cunningham-speaking-up-on-defending-womens-sports?

So yes Outkick asked a sexist cheating man in a dress does he think WBNA should be mixed sex. He said yes. Turns out that was good copy in an existing drama.

What a surprise. People LOVE arguing about basic biology. The big difference is that Sophie told the truth. About reality and everyone went insane. That is not on her that is on everyone else.

The US "liberal" media knew Cunningham would never back down that is her entire persona. Guess what they don't want her to really despite claiming they want to protect "trans" people. Any more than they want JKR to shut up. They know now some people can't be cancelled. They want outrage and drama just like the right wing media. [Though it has got so absurd one wonders if some of the "liberals" are doing secret terfing. You better not listen to what Sophie says about women being real and having sports let me just post about it everywhere.]

It is absurd that the WBNA doesn't know what a woman is when that is the basis of what they do every day. That a bunch of guys decided to make a daft situation even more daft is hardly surprising. It has happened before in other sports it is just this time Sophie laid the ground so it became a HUGE moment.

Love her or hate her, Sophie Cunningham won't be ignored

Without a starting role and without apology, the Fever guard has become a star and a dividing line.

https://www.espn.co.uk/wnba/story/_/id/49306657/sophie-cunningham-finger-point-indiana-fever-wnba

AlecTrevelyan006 · 10/08/2026 09:21

BlessingYou · 10/08/2026 08:16

No, it shouldn’t. A media organisation shouldn’t resort to deception and trickery to force the WNBA’s hand, either - either right, centre or left.

Show quote history

But media organisations all over the world do stuff like this all the time. You are naive to think that they only report the news - they very often make it themselves and have been doing so ever since newspapers were invented.

Helleofabore · 10/08/2026 09:26

Yes. This all kicked off because another news agency decided to use ‘bait’ to sell content .

imagine that though.

EvangelicalAboutButteredToast · 10/08/2026 10:45

BREAKING: Michael Beasley has officially declared for the 2027 WNBA Draft after identifying as a woman. He is the third former NBA player to do so following Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White. The move continues to spark debate across professional sports.