Washington Examiner columnist Joe Concha said that former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom’s declaration for the 2027 WNBA draft was a “brilliant PR move.”
Freedom posted a video on X on Monday declaring for the 2027 draft, announcing that after his team reviewed the WNBA’s eligibility guidelines, he concluded he could declare himself a prospect under the league’s current framework.
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Concha argued that Freedom’s basketball background makes the stunt particularly effective. “When he played for Portland, I think he averaged something around 20 points a game,” Concha said on Fox News’s Fox & Friends First Tuesday. “So yeah, if he could do that against guys, you put him in this league, he’ll be like Will Chamberlain.”
Concha said Freedom’s physical advantages would make the controversy impossible for the WNBA to ignore, arguing that the league would ultimately reject his attempt to enter the women’s league.
“In other words, you allow a guy like Freedom, even if he’s retired and he’s a little bit older, it doesn’t matter,” Concha said. “His chromosomes alone will allow him to dominate everybody and anybody in this league.”
Concha also pointed to former NBA player Royce White, who has similarly declared for the WNBA draft, noting that the WNBA would not allow it.
“The WNBA, however, is not going to allow this to happen, of course, because, well, while they say one thing that women should be able to play against guys in sports, once this Kanter Freedom tries get into this league, well, obviously they’re going to stop it in some way, shape or form,” Concha said. “But I think this is a brilliant PR move on his part to call this out, and now we’re talking about it.”
Freedom’s declaration puts the WNBA in the position of determining whether his interpretation of its eligibility rules is valid. Under the league’s current rules, domestic entrants must be at least 22 years old in the year of the draft and meet college-eligibility requirements, while international entrants must be at least 20. The league had not indicated that Freedom is eligible to play.
FORMER NBA STAR ENES KANTER FREEDOM DECLARES FOR THE 2027 WNBA DRAFT
Concha noted the broader issue extends beyond the WNBA.
“In the end, you cannot allow biological men to play against biological women in any sport, especially basketball,” he said.
