{"id":34584,"date":"2026-08-09T13:46:50","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T08:46:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=34584"},"modified":"2026-08-09T13:46:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T08:46:50","slug":"former-nba-first-round-pick-enes-kanter-freedom-declares-for-2027-wnba-draft-while-citing-leagues-eligibility-rules-for-transgender-athletes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=34584","title":{"rendered":"Former NBA First Round Pick Enes Kanter Freedom Declares For 2027 WNBA Draft While Citing League\u2019s Eligibility Rules For Transgender Athletes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:default1=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" itemprop=\"text\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">#Socialites, get a load of this! Former NBA player <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodunlocked.com\/tag\/enes-kanter-freedom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Enes Kanter Freedom<\/a><\/strong> says he\u2019s declaring for the May 2027 WNBA Draft. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>RELATED<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodunlocked.com\/nfls-first-transgender-cheerleader-justine-lindsay-alleges-carolina-panthers-topcats-fired-her-due-to-transphobia-and-right-after-donald-trump-became-president\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NFL\u2019s First Transgender Cheerleader Justine Lindsay Alleges Carolina Panthers TopCats Fired Her Due To Transphobia And \u2018Right After Donald Trump Became President\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Freedom, who was a first round pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, claims the league\u2019s eligibility rules for transgender athletes allows him to do so. It appears Freedom is cleverly calling out the WNBA for potential hypocrisy regarding its trans athletes discourse.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/former-nba-first-round-pick-enes-kanter-freedom-declares-2027-wnba-draft\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fox News<\/a>, Freedom \u201chas been an adamant opponent of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodunlocked.com\/tag\/lebron-james\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">LeBron James<\/a><\/strong>, the Chinese Communist Party, Nike, along with more political activism \u2014 which he believes blackballed him from the NBA.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>RELATED<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodunlocked.com\/president-donald-trump-signs-two-genders-executive-order-bans-transgender-women-from-u-s-prisons-for-female-inmates-and-blocks-medical-treatments-and-surgeries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">President Donald Trump Signs \u2018Two Genders\u2019 Executive Order, Bans Transgender Women From U.S. Prisons For Female Inmates, And Blocks Medical Treatments And Surgeries<\/a> <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-former-nba-player-enes-kanter-freedom-declares-for-2027-wnba-draft-amid-trans-athlete-discourse\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Former NBA Player Enes Kanter Freedom Declares For 2027 WNBA Draft Amid Trans Athlete Discourse<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Friday (August 7), Freedom took to his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Dbv5Yg2uzI-\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">social media<\/a> to share his declaration for the 2027 WNBA Draft. In his video, Freedom \u2014 who hasn\u2019t played in the NBA since the Houston Rockets waived him in 2022, following a trade from the Boston Celtics \u2014 sat behind a studio desk wearing an orange WNBA sweatshirt with the Nike logo crossed out. Next to him on the desk, was a matching orange WNBA hat. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While declaring for the draft, the Nobel Peace Prize Nominee said in his video: <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAfter careful consideration and reviewing the current eligibility guidelines, I\u2019m officially declaring myself a\u00a0WNBA prospect. If simply declaring who you are is all that\u2019s required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA. My team and I have carefully examined the WNBA\u2019s 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. 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\u2019m simply asking that the current rules be applied equally to everyone \u2014 the rules that represent the very values many WNBA players and coaches have publicly advocated for. My team and I are prepared to ensure these guidelines are applied equally, consistently, and without exception, and I look forward to the\u00a0#WNBA\u00a0honoring its stated principles. See you at training camp.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>RELATED<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodunlocked.com\/claressa-shields-talks-sparring-with-men-and-transgender-women-playing-in-womens-sports-a-man-will-never-fight-me-in-a-boxing-match-trans-athletes-need-to-build-their-own-little-league-and-fight\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Claressa Shields Talks Sparring With Men And Transgender Women Playing In Women\u2019s Sports: \u2018A Man Will Never Fight Me In A Boxing Match; Trans Athletes Need To Build Their Own Little League And Fight Each Other\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Freedom\u2019s declaration now forces the WNBA to allow him \u2014 based on its eligibility rules for those who claim to identify as transgender \u2014 or do what it needs to do, by any means necessary, to protect the fairness, integrity, and safety of their league. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If no team drafts Freedom in April 2027, the league could face discrimination claims. Additionally, if the league declares their sport is only for women, they will then have to face liberal backlash.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>#Socialites, be sure to check out the post below, then leave us your thoughts in a comment after! <\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DbzD1JoxMjA\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"\/>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 2 --><\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>#Socialites, get a load of this! Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom says he\u2019s declaring for the May 2027 WNBA Draft. RELATED: NFL\u2019s First Transgender Cheerleader Justine Lindsay Alleges Carolina Panthers TopCats Fired Her Due To Transphobia And \u2018Right After Donald Trump Became President\u2019 Freedom, who was a first round pick in the 2011 NBA&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34585,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/hollywoodunlocked.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Former-NBA-First-Round-Pick-Enes-Kanter-Freedom-Declares-For-2027-WNBA-Draft-While-Citing-Leagues-Eligibility-Rules-For-Transgender-Athletes.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34584"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34584\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/34585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}