Former NBA star Enes Kanter Freedom has claimed he submitted official paperwork to join the 2027 WNBA Draft. The 6ft 10in center, who played 11 seasons in the NBA including stints with the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, made the announcement days after first saying he planned to declare.
On Friday, Freedom said he had reviewed the current eligibility guidelines and planned to move forward with his decision. On Monday afternoon he shared what he described as a formal letter sent to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert notifying the league of his intention to enter the 2027 draft pool.
The letter stated that Freedom was submitting the notice to exercise his draft rights and to affirm he is at least twenty-two years old with no remaining intercollegiate eligibility, citing Article XIII, Section 1(b) of the league's collective bargaining agreement.
The letter also asked the WNBA League Office to verify receipt of the document and to direct future communications to Freedom's personal email address. It was dated as submitted on August 6, 2026.
In an accompanying video, Freedom said it was "officially official" and that he had declared for the 2027 WNBA Draft, inviting others to "join me in this journey."
WNBA transgender athlete controversy
The announcement comes as the WNBA faces controversy over transgender athletes, after Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham said she wants to protect young girls from biological men. Reports have claimed a task force of key WNBA figures will discuss the future of transgender athletes in women's basketball at a meeting next week.
According to a memo obtained by The Associated Press and sent by Engelbert to teams on Friday afternoon, the league will continue to prioritize preserving the integrity of the game and ensuring fair competition. Engelbert wrote that she knew many team representatives had received questions in recent weeks about transgender athlete participation and expected the topic to keep receiving significant attention.
Engelbert thanked those who had responded to media questions with thoughtfulness and professionalism, and said the league would always approach the topic thoughtfully, respectfully and in alignment with its longstanding values. She noted the league's player eligibility rules, unlike those of some other leagues and governing bodies, are collectively bargained, and said preserving the integrity of the game would always remain among the league's highest priorities.
What the collective bargaining agreement says
The league's collective bargaining agreement states that only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA, but it does not include more specific language about gender identity or sex assigned at birth. Engelbert called it a complex and nuanced topic and said the league would continue important conversations with team leaders and the Players Association in the weeks and months ahead, including additional discussions and listening sessions.
The WNBA players' association released a statement on social media on Friday emphasizing diversity and inclusion while saying the group would not be used as political pawns. The statement said the union embraces justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, and that hate, abuse and demonization of any person or group, including transgender people, only fuel fear, division and harm.
Some WNBA players and coaches have come out in support of transgender athletes, including Seattle Storm center Stefanie Dolson and Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve. Reeve said on August 1 that people need to protect trans kids, calling it a human rights issue and saying every kid has a right to sports.
Royce White also declares for draft
Fellow former NBA player Royce White has also declared for the draft, posing in a wig and celebrating what he called his feminine era. White was picked third overall in the 2011 NBA Draft and went on to play for the Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings, Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers and Celtics organizations before last playing professionally in 2022. He is 34 years old.
Freedom first announced his intention to declare on Friday afternoon, saying that after careful consideration and reviewing the current eligibility guidelines he was officially declaring himself a WNBA prospect. He said that if simply declaring who you are is all that is required, then he meets every requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA.
Freedom said his team had carefully examined the WNBA's eligibility criteria and governing framework surrounding self-identification and inclusion, and that based on the current guidelines he was officially declaring his eligibility for the draft in April 2027. He said he knew his presence on the court would stir strong opinions but was not there to mock, make fun of or disrespect any community or personal choices.
He said he was simply asking that the current rules be applied equally to everyone, the same rules that many WNBA players and coaches have publicly advocated for, and that his team was prepared to ensure the guidelines are applied equally, consistently and without exception. He said he looked forward to the WNBA honoring its stated principles and said he would see people at training camp.
