It’s been seven years since the Knicks last employed big man Enes Kanter–who is now calling himself Enes Freedom–and for one star of the team’s championship run, that is quite enough time. That’s because Kanter’s latest ploy in a series of right-wing social media grifts has been to proclaim himself a woman and suggest he should be eligible to be drafted into the WNBA. Kanter’s foray into gender politics has been both ugly and absurd, but that is just the kind of red meat he is trying to drum up to feed those who have suddenly become convinced that the prospect of men playing women’s sports is one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.
Kanter first thrust himself into the WNBA spotlight a little more than two weeks ago, when he declared on Twitter/X that he would be entering the league’s draft. He got excessive coverage for the stunt, and was joined in that crusade by Royce White, a former first-round NBA pick who flopped out of the league in 2013-14 after playing just nine minutes in three games.
But after the first publicity stunt, the story grew stale. So Kanter decided to fire it back up again.
Knicks’ Mikal Bridges: ‘Straight Loser’
He showed up at the Chicago Sky’s game at Wintrust Arena on Sunday and seated himself behind one of the baskets. Rather suddenly in the third quarter, Natasha Cloud began talking back-and-forth with Kanter, then quickly got more animated and began charging toward him, held back by teammates. The 34-year-old Kanter, who is 6-foot-10, began taunting Cloud.
Kanter approached but was stopped and walked out of the arena by security. The scene went viral, which was likely the plan all along, and just like that, Kanter got himself back into the headlines. He was later spotted arguing with police before finally exiting.
Knicks guard Mikal Bridges watched it all unfold online and noted, “He’s a straight loser.”
Knicks Once Traded Carmelo Anthony for Enes Kanter
Along those lines, Kanter does hold a special place in the history of the Knicks’ franchise: he was the main player the team got for Carmelo Anthony when Anthony was traded to the Thunder in 2017. Kanter averaged 14.1 points and 11.0 rebounds in his first season with the Knicks, but was moved to the bench in his second year because of his especially poor defense.
The Knicks wound up waiving Kanter in February 2019, and he went on to sign with the Blazers.
Enes Kanter Not Eligible for WNBA Draft
As for the future of Kanter’s WNBA stunt, the Knicks’ Bridges and others can rest easy: The WNBA is reportedly not taking Kanter’s determination to play seriously, and Front Office Sports is reporting that the league does not see itself with eligibility issues to address.
As reporter Colin Salao wrote on Twitter/X: “FIRST @FOS: Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, two ex-NBA players, are not eligible to play in the WNBA, league sources say. Sources call their draft declarations ‘publicity stunts’ and say the league has no immediate eligibility matters to address.”
The league has yet to make a decision on whether Kanter will be allowed to attend WNBA games in the future, per ESPN.
Knicks Champ Slams ‘Straight Loser’ Enes Kanter After WNBA Stunt