Enes Kanter has been fighting publicly to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft to get the league to outlaw any future trans athletes from becoming WNBA players.
Kanter has become a disliked figure among WNBA fans for using the league as a political tool in the battle against trans athletes by declaring for the 2027 Draft to force the league into a trans athlete ban.
While Kanter’s methods are incredibly polarising to people on both ends of the political spectrum, he has revealed something that has concerned many fans.
Enes Kanter claims he’s being sent death threats over WNBA actions
Kanter went on Fox News and revealed that he has been receiving consistent death threats since he declared for the 2027 WNBA Draft, claiming he’s being sent videos of Charlie Kirk getting shot.
“My DMs are full of pictures and videos of the moment that Charlie Kirk got shot. They’re saying I am next very soon. This is unacceptable. I am getting death threats once every hour simply for following the WNBA’s rules.”
Enes Kanter Freedom says he is receiving death threats over his efforts to protect women’s sports:
“My DMs are full of pictures and videos of the moment that Charlie Kirk got shot. They’re saying I am next very soon.” pic.twitter.com/WjpVBcbiWS
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) September 9, 2026
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Kanter is clearly unwelcome in the WNBA, but death threats against anyone are a bridge too far regardless of the political stances they carry.
Kanter’s attempts at entering the WNBA will succeed or fail depending on how the league’s new commissioner handles eligibility laws in the CBA to define the women who compete in the WNBA.
The league is unlikely to enforce a blanket trans ban like Kanter wants, as they are currently exploring their options through conversations with relevant stakeholders instead of on TV.
Enes Kanter’s request for the WNBA’s new commissioner
Kanter addressed Cathy Engelbert stepping down as the league’s commissioner at the end of the season, making a request to whoever replaces her.
“The WNBA Commissioner stepped down because she couldn’t take the pressure. I hope whoever the new Commissioner is, makes the right decision and adds the word ‘biological’ to the CBA, or else I am playing in 2027.”
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Given that the likes of Swin Cash and Nneka Ogwumike, two highly respected former WNBA players, feature among the potential candidates for the job, Kanter is unlikely to find a sympathetic figure in them.
There are no trans basketball players playing at the top level of any top division in the world, with the best examples coming from the second division of France.
When the time comes for an actual trans athlete, and not Kanter, to declare for the Draft, they will likely have this debate again.
Instead, it is better to take their time to make an informed decision before outlawing all trans women from ever competing in the league.
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