Enes Kanter Freedom recruits more male players to enter WNBA draft

Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom is recruiting more biological male basketball players to enter the WNBA draft after announcing his own intention to declare for the 2027 draft.

Freedom has been calling on the WNBA to establish clear eligibility standards based on biological sex rather than so-called gender identity. In a social media post on Tuesday, he said he has spoken with two former NBA players, three G League players, and three European players who are considering joining him if the league does not change its eligibility rules.

“They have all said that if the WNBA doesn’t change the rules, they’re ready to join the movement and are considering coming out as women and putting their names in the 2027 WNBA Draft,” Freedom wrote.

Freedom argued that the financial incentive could be significant to entice male basketball players who would otherwise earn less playing in other leagues.

“Hear me out,” Freedom explained. “The NBA G- League pays players $45,000 a year, while the WNBA top players earn $1.4 million. Those ‘men’ could earn an extra $1,355,000 a year by just identifying as women.”

Freedom did not identify the players he had spoken with.

His comments come after the WNBA indirectly addressed the declaration made by both Freedom and former NBA player Royce White. The league held an emergency meeting last week but did not establish a new definition of eligibility for women. The WNBA said discussions could continue in the coming weeks and months, criticizing “bad-faith efforts” intended to “demean or marginalize others.”

Freedom and White’s efforts to enter the WNBA come amid ongoing debate about whether or not female sports leagues should permit biological males who identify as women. Recently, Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham faced backlash after publicly supporting eligibility standards based on biological sex.