Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom has called for a peace summit with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to address the league's ongoing transgender athlete policy debate.
Freedom posted the proposal on social media on Monday, extending an olive branch to league leadership while asking former Olympic decathlon champion Caitlyn Jenner to moderate the public discussion.
Addressing Engelbert and the Women's National Basketball Association task force directly on X, Freedom urged officials to stop holding closed-door meetings and engage in an open dialogue.
"I am not a troublemaker. I am more of a peacemaker," Freedom wrote on X. "Listen, the whole world is laughing at you. You have turned the WNBA into a laughingstock."
Freedom urged the commissioner to publicly defend the league's current regulations. "Let us sit across the table from each other, have an open and respectful conversation, and address the questions millions of people are asking," he wrote, adding that Jenner had already agreed to participate as moderator.
Courtside Ejection and League Controversy
The invitation comes after weeks of escalating tension surrounding Freedom and the WNBA, the top professional women's basketball league in the United States. Freedom sparked controversy when he announced his decision to declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft in an effort to challenge the league's policy on transgender athlete inclusivity.
Tempers boiled over at a recent game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky after Freedom attended the contest courtside wearing a t-shirt defining what a woman is. During the game, Freedom clashed with Chicago Sky star Natasha Cloud on the court.
Arena security swiftly ejected Freedom from the venue following the confrontation. He later appeared on Fox News to discuss the incident, while players across the league condemned his behavior.
The broader debate within the league was ignited by comments from Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham, who publicly called to "protect young girls" from "biological men." Following Cunningham's statements, both Freedom and fellow former NBA player Royce White declared that they have formally entered next year's WNBA Draft.
Caitlyn Jenner and the Public Debate
Jenner, a former Olympic gold medalist who won the men's decathlon at the 1976 Montreal Games as Bruce Jenner, publicly transitioned as a transgender woman in 2015. Despite her transition, she has frequently advocated for restricting women's sports categories to biological females.
Speaking to Fox News earlier this month, Jenner criticized the WNBA for what she described as hypocrisy regarding its eligibility standards. "XX are in, XY are out. It is that simple," Jenner told Fox News. "We have to protect women's sports."
Freedom, who played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association as a center before changing his surname to Freedom upon becoming a U.S. citizen in 2021, reiterated that his invitation to Engelbert remains open. League officials have not yet announced whether they will accept the proposed peace summit.
