Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom says he is declaring himself eligible for the 2027 WNBA Draft, which is scheduled for April 2027. He says he and his team reviewed the league’s published eligibility criteria and governing framework, particularly provisions related to self-identification and inclusion, and believe those guidelines make him eligible.
Multiple outlets report that the WNBA has not issued a public response to his announcement. One outlet notes that the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement limits eligibility to women and does not include a self-identification provision, while another outlet describes his action as a challenge tied to the league’s inclusion policies. A separate report links his announcement to ongoing public debate around transgender athletes in the WNBA, referencing recent comments by Sophie Cunningham.
While the outlets agree on Kanter Freedom’s declaration and his stated basis for eligibility, they differ in emphasis, ranging from describing his claim about self-identification rules to highlighting that published CBA language appears to contradict it.
