Basketball Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller has criticized former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White over their recent declarations to enter the WNBA.
Speaking with TMZ Sports, the basketball icon made it clear that she is paying no mind to the pair amid the ongoing debate over gender eligibility in women's sports.
Miller, sister of NBA legend Reggie Miller, said: "I'm not giving them, those two in particular, a whole lot of thought because there's outsiders looking to hijack our network. It's horrible energy."
Freedom recently posted a workout clip and claimed that he has officially begun the "transition" to becoming a WNBA player, days after becoming the first of two ex-NBA stars seeking entry to the league.
White has similarly expressed his interests and recently posted a photo wearing a wig, claiming he was entering his "feminine era" to test the league rules.
Miller noted that while she would have welcomed both players as courtside fans in the past, she has no patience for their sudden joint political commentary.
Rejection of political commentary
"I would have loved to see these two sitting courtside, you know, watching the game 30 years ago, 20 years ago, five years ago, five minutes ago," Miller stated.
"But now all of a sudden, y'all got a collective think tank? Man, shut that noise up," the USC legend added.
Instead of paying attention to outside distraction, Miller emphasized that her focus remains on the court as the WNBA regular season heads towards the playoffs.
"All I'm focused on, for real, is 13 games remaining in The Dub [WNBA]," Miller added. "Playoffs are around the corner. That's what my focus is about."
While acknowledging that the league will need to address transgender participation policies, Miller suggested that the matter should be dealt with later down the line.
"I would definitely let cooler heads prevail right now," Cheryl said.
Transgender participation policy debate
"We want to protect everyone. And we don't want to exclude anyone, but I just think we all have to sit down in the off-season and collectively get our heads and minds around this issue. Obviously, it's a hotbed."
The controversy surrounding transgender athlete inclusion sparked after Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham advocated for restrictions to "protect young girls" from "biological men" in sport.
Since making the comments, the WNBA has descended into chaos with fans, players and coaches divided over the matter.
The saga took another twist recently after Freedom and White claimed they would be declaring for the 2027 WNBA Draft, sending social media into a meltdown.
