Overview
- At a Thursday rally in Durant, Oklahoma, President Donald Trump mocked Enes Kanter Freedom, called him a “monster,” and said he would give Kanter and Dennis Rodman a symbolic “full pardon” to enter women’s sports.
- Kanter posted that he invited Trump to his projected first WNBA game in 2027 and said Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman agreed to coach him in the offseason, statements widely reported but not independently verified by the league.
- Multiple outlets have reported that WNBA and union sources told reporters Kanter is not eligible for the 2027 draft under the league’s existing eligibility process, and Trump’s remarks do not change those rules.
- Kanter’s effort follows his August courtside ejection at a Chicago Sky–Indiana Fever game and a federal lawsuit he filed claiming the ejection violated his First Amendment rights; that litigation remains active.
- The episode highlights a gap in publicly available WNBA eligibility language, fuels polarized coverage across outlets and commentators, and could prompt legal or policy scrutiny of how the league defines who may play and enforces arena conduct.