Enes Kanter Freedom says he's received death threats since declaring eligibility for WNBA

Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom has revealed that he has received countless death threat messages on social media in the wake of his declaring that he is eligible to compete in the WNBA. The women’s basketball league has been in hot water as of late over the inclusion of trans-identified males in women’s sports. 

Speaking with Fox News’ Harris Faulkner, Freedom said, “My DMs are full of pictures and videos of the moment that Charlie Kirk got shot. They're saying that I am next very soon, right? And this is unacceptable. And I'm getting death threats once every hour because of simply following the WNBA rules. But the commissioner of the, you know, WNBA, Cuckoo Kathy, I call her, stepped down because she couldn't take the pressure, but I just hope whoever the next commissioner is make the right decision and add the word biological in their collective bargaining, or I am playing in 2027.”

The spotlight was aimed at the WNBA after Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham said in July that she supports protecting women’s and girls’ sports from male competitors. In an effort to challenge the WNBA’s rules regarding what the W in their name stands for, Freedom said in early August that he was eligible for the WNBA draft.

Freedom said, "After careful consideration and reviewing the current eligibility guidelines, I am officially declaring myself a WNBA prospect. If simply declaring who you are is all that's required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA."

He revealed later that month that he had recruited more male players to compete in the WNBA, including two former NBA players, three G League players, and three European players. “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.

The WNBA has declared that Freedom is not eligible to play in the league, writing it off as “publicity stunts.” 

In late August, Freedom was ejected from a WNBA game in Chicago on Sunday after a courtside confrontation with Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud. Freedom had been wearing a pro-woman shirt. Cloud came under fire in the wake of the ejection after it was revealed that, in the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, she had written, “He lobbied to be shot in public. He literally called for public executions.”

WNBA team Chicago Sky banned Freedom from the arena, and Freedom has sued over this move. "See you in Court!!!" Freedom wrote. "Just filed a federal complaint. I'm taking legal action over my ejection from the Chicago Sky game while peacefully exercising my First Amendment rights."