Ex-NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom to attend WNBA Finals Game 3 in Atlanta
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom plans to attend WNBA Finals Game 3 in Atlanta.
The league calls him ineligible; his attendance is now a security matter.
Background
Enes Kanter Freedom is a former NBA player who spent 11 seasons in the league before being waived by the Houston Rockets in 2022, the same year he added "Freedom" to his name. This season he declared himself eligible for the 2027 WNBA Draft while saying he identifies as a woman, and the WNBA has said only women are eligible. The dispute has played out amid growing political pressure on women's sports organisations to tighten rules on transgender athletes, and it escalated when he was ejected and banned from a Chicago Sky arena in August.
How it unfolded
- 2022Kanter Freedom retired from professional basketball after being waived by the Houston Rockets, and added "Freedom" to his name.
- Aug 7, 2026He declared himself eligible for the 2027 WNBA Draft on social media, saying he identifies as a woman.
- Aug 23, 2026He attended a Chicago Sky game in a T-shirt reading "WOMAN noun. adult human female"; after a shouting match with Sky guard Natasha Cloud he was ejected and banned from the Sky's Wintrust Arena.
- Aug 24, 2026A person with direct knowledge told USA TODAY Sports that Kanter Freedom and Royce White are not eligible to enter the WNBA draft.
- Sep 3, 2026He filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Sky, saying his First Amendment rights were violated when he was wrongly ejected from the Aug. 23 game.
- Oct 16, 2026WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert wrote in a letter to a congressional inquiry that only women are eligible to play in the WNBA and that the individuals cited are both men.
- Oct 19, 2026Kanter Freedom said on social media he plans to attend Game 3 of the WNBA Finals between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
- Oct 21, 2026The Atlanta Dream and State Farm Arena directed him to watch Game 3 from a private luxury suite, with additional security and a state police officer assigned to him at his request.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert wrote that only women are eligible to play in the WNBA and that the individuals cited in the congressional letter are both men.
- Party
- The WNBA players' union said hate and demonisation of any group, including transgender people, fuel division and that players will not be used as political pawns.
- Kanter Freedom
- Kanter Freedom said his effort is meant to pressure the WNBA into explicitly limiting participation to biological females, and that he is excited to scout the competition before dominating the league next year.
- Player
- Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams said she would welcome a trans athlete on or against her team and called the episode another way to attack trans people.
- Trump
- President Donald Trump, at an October rally, called Kanter Freedom a monster and said he does not believe Kanter Freedom really believes he is a woman.
Still unverified
Kanter Freedom said he is in contact with the FBI after receiving death threats over his plans to attend Game 3, a claim attributed to his statements to OutKick. He also claimed when waived by the Rockets that it was because of his views on the Chinese government, an accusation NBA commissioner Adam Silver denied.