RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Los Angeles Sparks center Cameron Brink called former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom a "stupid piece of shit" who is "just trying to stay relevant" in the strongest statement yet by a current player regarding Kanter Freedom's recent antics.
Amid the ongoing debate about transgender athletes, Kanter Freedom and fellow former NBA player Royce White have claimed they now identify as women, and have agitated to be eligible for the 2027 WNBA Draft. On Sunday, Kanter Freedom showed up to the Chicago Sky's game against the Indiana Fever wearing a shirt that read, "woman noun. adult human female."
Kanter Freedom was ejected from the contest in the third quarter after getting into a verbal altercation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud , and has since been banned from Sky home games indefinitely . "He has demonstrated to us, unequivocally, that he has the potential to be a threat," Sky owner Michael Alter said Wednesday.
Prior to the Sparks' game against the Atlanta Dream on Monday, Brink was asked for her thoughts on Kanter Freedom and the recent discourse that has enveloped the league. Her comments were published late Wednesday by The Mirror US. Here they are in full :
"I mean, that's such a big question. For me personally, when it comes to the trans issues that I believe you're talking about, I think it's a non-issue and I think it's people trying to come for the trans community and I just don't stand for that. I think what, I don't even know what the f--- his name is, Enes Kanter, he's a stupid piece of shit and I think a lot of people think that. I think he's just trying to stay relevant.
"I think people are tuned in for the right reasons, and it's great that we can all talk about things that are important and hard and you can have your opinions on that. But I think taking something that's a non-issue right now and trying to use it for clickbait, for views, for likes, and then targeting a vulnerable community is just really low."
Following Sunday's incident in Chicago, CBS Sports spoke to sources around the league who said they do not think the eligibility of Kanter Freedom and White is a legitimate matter and view their recent actions as publicity stunts. The league has not made an official comment on the matter.
Last month, Fever guard Sophie Cunningham said in an ESPN profile that she wants to "protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn't have to go against biological men."
Cunningham doubled down when asked about the comments prior to a July 22 game against the Connecticut Sun . "I said what I said. I think it's kind of common sense," she said. "And I think I'll always believe in that. I think it's really important to protect children, and that's little girls who are also involved in that category. I stand on what I said."
Cunningham added that she doesn't "dislike anyone" and that there's "room to love everyone." She continued, "I'm also there to love biological women, and I think that there are rights that need to be protected. And, like I said, I'm gonna stand true to that. I'll never falter in my beliefs in that. But I have never once stated that I hated the trans community."
Ever since then, the WNBA has become a battleground for the debate about transgender athletes, despite the fact that the league has never had a transgender player and does not have a public policy about transgender participation. The new collective bargaining agreement states simply that, "only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA."
Earlier this month, the WNBA convened a task force to discuss the issue and made a statement that read, in part, "We will approach these important conversations thoughtfully and in alignment with the values of our league. There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA, and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others."
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