There’s a single sentence in the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement, which is at the center of Enes Kanter Freedom’s recent declaration. Article XIII, Section 1(a) says only “women” are eligible to play, but never defines the word. That gap is what the 11-year NBA veteran has spent the past week testing, and by his sit-down with Bruce Pearl, he’d gone from a procedural argument to fantasy-booking himself next to Caitlin Clark.
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Speaking in a 40-minute interview with former Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl, presented by the America First Policy Institute, Freedom laid out what he sees for himself in Indianapolis.
“I think I can do a pretty good job,” Freedom said. “I’m really excited. It’s going to be fun. You know, especially if I get drafted by a team like maybe Indiana, you know, they can definitely use some big. Me and Caitlin will be the modern Kobe and Shaq.”
When asked whether he genuinely believed he could land on a team as competitive as the Fever, Freedom went even further, constructing a specific on-court scenario with visible enthusiasm.
“Actually, now I’m thinking about it. I’m just thinking about this scenario, right? We’re going down the lane and Caitlin just throwing a lob. I cut the lob and I’m just dunking the ball. And then me and Caitlin just bumping chests to each other, which I’m allowed to do because I am now a woman,” he added.
It was on Friday that Freedom officially declared his intention to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft, with fellow former NBA player Royce White, who further said he was “sometimes identifying as a woman for the purposes of professional basketball.” Freedom even submitted paperwork and shared a copy of his declaration addressed to the WNBA League Office, writing, “Officially official.”
While Freedom has said that he was “definitely not here to mock, make fun of, or disrespect any community or personal choices”. However, that comment now sits awkwardly next to his comments to Pearl days later.
This whole controversy began after Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham’s comments to ESPN opposing transgender athletes in women’s sports, a remark that split the league.
The WNBA has responded twice. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert first sent a memo to team presidents and general managers, calling it “a complex and nuanced topic” and pledging further conversations with the Players Association.
Then, following a Wednesday meeting of the league’s existing anti-hate task force, a WNBA spokesperson went further: “There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA, and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others.”