Former United States women's soccer player Megan Rapinoe has labeled former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom a "bad-faith actor" following his controversial attempts to enter the WNBA draft and a tense courtside altercation with Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud.
Speaking on her podcast, the two-time World Cup winner took aim at Kanter Freedom after he was ejected from Wintrust Arena during Sunday night's game between the Chicago Sky and Sophie Cunningham's Indiana Fever.
The incident unfolded after Kanter Freedom sat courtside wearing a T-shirt displaying the definition: "Woman. Noun. Adult human female," with the words "woman" and "female" highlighted in red. A furious argument erupted when Cloud stormed over to Kanter Freedom, leading to a viral video showing the pair shouting before security held Cloud back as Kanter Freedom stood up and spread his arms.
Rapinoe, a former United States Women's National Team star who previously clashed publicly with former President Donald Trump, has frequently discussed social and political topics outside sports. Kanter Freedom, a former NBA center who played for teams including the New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder, has recently thrown himself into debates surrounding transgender athletes by attempting to utilize eligibility rules to enter next year's WNBA draft.
Rapinoe criticizes media statements and motives
Addressing Kanter Freedom's subsequent comments to media outlets, Rapinoe responded in a sarcastic tone to his claims of trying to safeguard female athletes. "He later, in continuing the absolute grift that was this whole thing, gave some quotes to OutKick Sports and Fox News, no surprise there, saying that he was just out there to protect women," Rapinoe said. "Well, oh my God, thank you so much because that's what we were asking for."
She continued by questioning who female athletes actually needed protection from. "In fairness, you did warn us about men forcing their way into WNBA spaces. Lo and behold... Oh, you weren't talking about yourself? OK. People who are 'trying to protect women.' First of all, from who? From who? It's yourself. It's a big mirror. Y'all are the same people who were, like, s****ing on the league and its athletes from before, saying it was bad business and no one cared. You're the same people who were banning people from playing soccer in the 1950s. You're the same type of people."
Rapinoe argued that renewed interest in the league stems from its growing commercial and cultural success. "Oh, but now they care about it a lot, don't they? Because they're seeing the success and the power the league has, and they're seeing how popular it is and seeing how everybody loves it and how lit of a space it is. So, now they really care. So, they are going to try and continue coming after the W and other women's sports leagues and its athletes after seeing all the power they have."
Rapinoe specifically named Freedom alongside fellow former NBA player Royce White, accusing both of being bad-faith actors as they publicly pursue spots in the WNBA. She stressed that these actions extend beyond online commentary. "This is not the same old story of, 'Well, this is just online, or it's just trolls, it's just bots. It's not actually happening.' No, it's actually happening. They're doing rallies before the game, they're coming onto the court. They're buying tickets. They're in there, they're not just trolls. They're showing up in real life."
Call for unity and league response
The former soccer star urged female athletes to remain united against external pressure and hostility. "They want a mechanism to continue tearing down women period and women's sports," Rapinoe said. "I hate that this is true and I desperately want for us to get to a place where women athletes can just be left alone and be great and be paid well. People can come and watch and just be respected. But that is clearly not where we are."
She highlighted how the commercial growth of professional women's leagues has coincided with increased scrutiny. "The rise in women's sports and the rise of the popularity in all these sports leagues, particularly the W, has come hand-in-hand with the rise of this hate and discrimination," she added. "It's why it's important for us as women athletes to continue to speak out about these issues and continue to do it together to show a united and collective fight."
Rapinoe concluded her podcast comments with a firm stance on men in women's sports: "Let's make one thing clear: We do not need men in the WNBA, or women's sports in general, to make it successful."
Kanter Freedom's attempts to enter the league suffered a major setback earlier this week when WNBA officials ruled him ineligible for the 2027 draft. A league source told Front Office Sports that the WNBA was "not going to give oxygen to efforts designed to mock the league or use this topic to demean and marginalize others," describing his bid as a "publicity stunt."
Following Sunday's incident with Cloud, Chicago Sky owner Michael Alter announced on Tuesday that Kanter Freedom has been officially banned from Wintrust Arena. "He has demonstrated to us, unequivocally, that he has the potential to be a threat," Alter said, according to ESPN. Alter added that Kanter Freedom would only be allowed to return if "sometime in the future, he's able to prove to us that he's able to abide by our rules without being a potential threat."
