Enes Kanter Freedom has put the WNBA in an unfamiliar position after Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham‘s comments on transgender players have already caused intense debate. The former NBA big man has announced plans to enter the WNBA draft, sparking further discussion in an already divided league. Now, four hours later, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) has released an official statement.

“To everyone who loves this game: The WNBPA represents 200+ individual people with different lived experiences, cultures, lifestyles, and opinions,” it read, per a X post by ClutchPoints.

“We embrace justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Those are the values that unite this Union and allow it to protect women’s sports while creating transformational change. Hate, abuse, and demonization of any person or group of people, including transgender people, only fuel fear, division, and harm. We will continue to have hard conversations. But we will not be used as political pawns.”

The WNBPA is currently led by Los Angeles Sparks’ forward, Nneka Ogwumike, and Minnesota Lynx forward, Napheesa Collier, with the organization dating back to 1998 to protect the rights of WNBA players. A few hours before the WNBPA’s statement release, Freedom announced via X that he was declaring for the upcoming WNBA draft after his team had carefully looked into eligibility criteria. He also opened up about the intention behind his move.

“I know my presence on the court will stir up strong opinions. I am definitely not here to mock, make fun of, or disrespect any community or personal choices. I’m simply asking that the current rules be applied equally to everyone — the rules that represent the very values many WNBA players and coaches have publicly advocated for.”

Freedom’s announcement is unusual. This is the first time that a player with more than a decade of experience in the NBA has shown the intention to pursue a roster spot in the women’s league to force a conversation about the boundaries of eligibility policies.

In their statement, the WNBPA also addressed fans, urging them to start taking action against “bad actors.”

“Support the Players. Support the Fans. At games, notify security if you witness hateful, violent, or abusive behavior. Online, report abusive posts and drown out the bots and bad actors. At home, tell your elected officials to strengthen Title IX.”

Unfortunately for Enes Kanter Freedom, this stunt is unlikely to get him drafted.

Can Enes Kanter Freedom Actually Play in the WNBA?

Enes Kanter Freedom’s announcement to compete in the WNBA, while stirring up attention, doesn’t seem like it’s going to amount to him actually playing in the league.

According to Article 13, Section 1 of the WNBA’s CBA, “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.”

In Freedom’s post, despite declaring his intent to be a part of the draft, he doesn’t identify himself as a woman. Had he made that declaration, Freedom might have had a case, because the WNBPA has anti-discrimination provisions. According to Article 39, Section 6 of the CBA, the league or the union can’t favor or undermine “any Player because of religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status or activity or lack of activity on behalf of the Players Association.”

But this isn’t the first time Freedom has tried to play in the WNBA or spoken out on trans athletes. Back in 2023, in a since-deleted post on X, he spoke about trying to enter the WNBA, per an August 14, 2023 report by Sports Illustrated.

“Since I’m blackballed from the NBA, should I put on a wig, identify as a woman and start dominating the WNBA? Is that when the outrage will begin? Is that fair to all the women who spent their whole life chasing their goals? Where are all the Women Rights Activists and Feminists?!”

Only time will tell how the situation is resolved, but it’s clear that Freedom’s comments have created yet another storm around the WNBA.