Earlier this month, former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom made a mockery of the WNBA’s gender policy when he declared himself eligible for the WNBA Draft as a fake transgender woman. He then got himself ejected from a WNBA game for a verbal altercation with Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud. Now, he wants peace – kind of.
In a video shared on social media on Monday, Kanter Freedom called on WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the WNBA task force to meet him for a “peace summit” before going on to say that Engelbert has “turned the WNBA into a laughingstock.”
Kanter Freedom Sends a Message
In a video shared to social media on Monday, Kanter Freedom invited Engelbert and the WNBA task force to a peace summit moderated by Caitlyn Jenner, who is perhaps the most high-profile transgender woman on the planet.
“WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the WNBA task force, I am now speaking directly to you. I’m going to keep this short and sweet, so open your ears and listen carefully,” Kanter Freedom said in the video. “I would like to offer you a peace summit, moderated by my friend, Caitlyn Jenner. I have already spoken with her and, yes, she’s in.”
“I’m not a troublemaker; I’m more of a peacemaker,” Kanter Freedom said before absolutely blasting Engelbert.
“Listen, the whole world is laughing at you. You have turned the WNBA into a laughingstock,” Kanter Freedom said. “It is time to stop hiding behind closed-door meetings, excuses, and delays and finally give the public a clear answer.
“Let’s have the peace summit. No shouting, no hiding, no carefully scripted statements. Let’s sit across the table from each other, have an open and respectful conversation, and address the questions millions of people are asking. Let’s put everything on the table and let the public hear both sides,” Kanter continued. “If you truly believe in your position, you should have no problem defending it publicly.”
WNBA Dismissed Kanter Freedom
The WNBA has not issued a public statement or even publicly acknowledged Kanter Freedom’s WNBA Draft declaration, and it doesn’t sound like the league plans to.
Earlier this month, Front Office Sports reported that the league is not taking Kanter Freedom’s WNBA Draft declaration seriously.
A league source told the outlet that the WNBA was dismissing Kanter Freedom and fellow former NBA player Royce White’s draft declarations as “simply publicity stunts,” adding that the league is “not going to give oxygen to efforts designed to mock the league or use this topic to demean and marginalize others.”
The source told Front Office Sports that the WNBA “will not allow outside pressure or manufactured controversy to dictate league processes.”
Given this report, it seems unlikely that the WNBA will even respond to this video in any official or unofficial capacity.
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