Enes Kanter Freedom has stated that his campaign challenging the WNBA's eligibility rules would conclude if the league were to explicitly amend its collective bargaining agreement to define player eligibility as limited to "biological" females. Freedom, who has declared himself eligible for the 2027 WNBA Draft, said, "If they come out tomorrow and say only biological females are eligible to play, I’d drop everything."
Article XIII, Section 1(a) of the WNBA's collective bargaining agreement currently states that only players who are women are eligible, without providing a public definition of the term. Freedom has used this absence to assert his eligibility and challenge the league.
Reports from multiple league sources indicate that Freedom and former NBA player Royce White are not considered eligible. Freedom has dismissed these reports as "fake news," asserting that neither the league nor its commissioner has directly contacted him regarding his eligibility.
The dispute recently intensified during a WNBA game between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever. Freedom attended the game wearing a shirt that defined a woman as an "adult human female." He was subsequently removed by security following an exchange with Sky guard Natasha Cloud. The Chicago Sky later banned Freedom from Wintrust Arena, with owner Michael Alter suggesting his appearance was intended to provoke a reaction. Freedom, however, maintained that his actions did not warrant removal.
Despite these events, Freedom stated his intention to continue preparing for the draft and has offered to meet with league officials. His central demand remains for the WNBA to expressly include biological sex in its eligibility rules. Freedom contends that if this condition is met, his campaign will end immediately.
Freedom's actions have drawn attention, with some suggesting his campaign is both a genuine effort to protect women's sports and a bid for publicity. He presents his actions as activism aimed at safeguarding women's sports, but critics note that his challenges and confrontations also re-center national attention on himself.
The WNBA's reported position is that Freedom is ineligible to play. However, Freedom maintains that his protest will continue until the league publicly states its position using the specific language he demands.