Los Angeles Sparks star Cameron Brink has called former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom a “stupid piece of shit” who is “trying to stay relevant”, in the most vocal statement by an active player about Kanter Freedom’s recent actions involving the WNBA.
Brink, the No 2 overall pick in the 2024 draft, spoke this week to the Mirror about the controversies that have surrounded the league this summer.
After Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham told ESPN last month that transgender women should not be able to participate in women’s sports, the league became a battleground for national debate. The stir arose despite the fact that no player assigned male at birth has ever been on a WNBA roster. The league’s collective bargaining agreement says the WNBA is restricted to women but contains no more specific language about gender identity or sex assigned at birth.
Freedom, an 11-year NBA veteran who last played in 2022, and Royce White, another former NBA player, have publicly declared for the WNBA draft, saying they identify as women. League sources have said the two are not eligible and have framed their actions as publicity stunts.
“For me, personally, I think 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 just come for the trans community. I just don’t stand for that,” Brink said. “I don’t even know what the fuck 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.”
The Chicago Sky banned Freedom from their home games and deemed him a “potential threat” after he was involved in a confrontation with guard Natasha Cloud during a game last week and ejected from the arena. Freedom was sitting along the baseline wearing a black shirt that read “WOMAN noun. adult human female.” Cloud did not speak to media after the incident.
“It was pretty clear to us that his purpose of coming here was trying to be provocative and just see how much attention he could get and stir up and create,” Sky team president Michael Alter later told reporters.
Brink won a national championship at Stanford before entering the WNBA in 2021. She is averaging 9.4 points and 5.0 rebounds for Los Angeles this season.
Earlier this month, the WNBA issued a statement criticizing those trying to create a narrative about the participation of transgender women in sports. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has denounced people she said are trying to “sow divisiveness” and turn the league into a “political football”.
