Does the WNBA Know What is a Woman?

I'm a threat. You're a threat. We're all threats, apparently. That's the message coming from the owner of the WNBA's Chicago Sky, Michael Alter, as former basketball player Ennis Cantor Freedom takes a stand for women's sports. Women in sport, not men in women's sports. The WNBA has already told him along with fellow former NBA player Royce White, they're not eligible to join the league. After both announced plans to enter the WNBA draft next year, now Cantor Freedom is also banned from Chicago's Wintrust Arena following his altercation with I don't know what you call it an altercation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud on Sunday.

I think he just stood up Sky owner Michael Alter saying in part, quote, unless sometime in the future, he's able to prove to us to our satisfaction that he's able to abide by our rules without being a potential threat. NBA legend Charles Barkley also firing back. There's no transgender people going to play in the WNBA. If you don't like it, kick rocks. We're not going and we're not going to discuss it anymore. The WNBA is for women. And listen, this is the last time we're going to discuss it. We're not going to turn it over to the fools on the Internet. We're not going to turn it over to Congress and think that the WNBA is for women only period.

The man at the center of it all, former NBA player, Ennis Cantor Freedom joins us now live in studio. Great to see you. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it. So Charles Barkley said it so plainly. There are no men in the WNBA. But the issue for you and all of us is the WNBA can't say it so plainly. They said it about you. But can they say transgender women or biological men will not be allowed to play in this sport? Well, it's almost been like two weeks. They still the commissioner and the task force still couldn't come up with a simple answer.

What is a woman? I remember back in May, I was watching the WNBA and one of the players, Gabby Williams, came out and said, I will welcome a transgender in my team or against my team. And throughout those, you know, weeks and months and all these players and coaches and the league itself were saying that we will welcome a trans athlete. So I was like, you know what? I got kicked out of the NBA because I was talking about the China's human rights violations. I love the game. So I just want to go out there and play basketball. So if they don't have any rule against it, why not?

Yep. So you're testing. You're testing their theory. You're testing what's coming out of their mouths. You were at that game. You stood up when the player pointed at you. OK, some people have said, look, you're just you're just making it all about yourself. This is just an attention grab by you. How do you respond to the people who say you just want attention? It's really not about the win. Listen, I was just literally there to just I was enjoying the game because I love the game.

I was there to, you know, you know, support my friend, Sophie Cunningham, because I think I think she is doing an amazing job on and off the court. When they put her in the game in the late third quarter, right, she shot a three and literally simply I put my hand in the air to celebrate it. Natasha Clark came back and said, she's not going to sleep with you. I literally turned around to my manager. I was like, did she really said that? The next position, I was like, I'm not trying to sleep with her.

I'm just here to protect women and protect my and support my friend, Sophie Cunningham. The next position, she came back and she was just dropping a lot of F-bombs. I was shocked because she's actually loved by the Chicago fans. There were a lot of kids were on that stance, probably idolizing her. I was very sad that she was acting that way for one of all these young fans. It just it just does not look good at all. Have any of the teams invited you in, opened their arms to you, or do you are you going to keep going to games to support Sophie, to support women in sport?

I mean, yes, because I'm I paid thousands of dollars from my own pocket just to literally support them. People trying to view me as like anti-trend, I'm not anti-trend, I'm just pro-woman. You know, I just want to make this very clear to all America. Of course, I mean, there is till they make a rule that, you know, they can come out tomorrow and say, hey, only biological female can play in WNBA. I will drop everything immediately. But till then, I am eligible to play because Article 13 and Section 1 says only play for women are eligible to play.

They don't really define what a woman is. So they define I am eligible to play. So I'm a dad. I got daughters who play sports. I think about it from a dad's perspective. I get kind of fired up about this. And I say, look, only women should play women's sports. Some people come back and say, you're a man. Like, you're walking into this, like, I'm the man going to protect the woman and all of this. It raises the question, and I think people are asking this of you, like, how should men engage this debate?

Because it does strike me that there are a lot, like, a lot of your opponents in this are women. Like, they're the ones who are least likely to stand up for women. I don't know. How does a guy engage this well? So I actually have this conversation with some of the NBA players right now. And they were like, listen, we have daughters, you know. And they said, if any of our daughters, you know, plays basketball against a biological male or be in the same locker room, showers, restroom with a biological male, we will punch them in the face.

But the thing is, they don't have any kind of ruling against it, you know. So I'm just following their rules. I'm a rule follower. You know, I don't want to make any kind of trouble. I'm a peacemaker. So the thing is, you know, the WNBA players are advocating for this. So it's not that I'm breaking any rules. I'm literally doing what they're telling me to do. If I identify as a woman, I am allowed to play. I should be allowed to play. And I'm prepared to play.

Are you prepared? Are you going to fight it legally? I mean, the thing is, it's like the other players are bringing a lawsuit already. The league is losing $50 million every year already. I don't want to go out there and bring a lawsuit and just make, like, turn that whole thing into a nightmare for them. You know, all I want from them is come up with an answer. What is a woman? And come up with a concrete rule. Do you want to add the biological, the word biological in that collective bargaining or not?

If they add it, I will drop everything tomorrow. But if not, I am eligible to play. They have no idea what they're getting something to because I'm already talking to three European players, three college players, and two former NBA players. They said if they don't change the rules, we are about to put our name in the WNBA draft in 2027 as well. At a personal level, to any of the folks that you're arguing with right now, do they reach out to you and say, let's talk?

Let's talk about where the disagreement is and figure it out. I would love to talk. Look, I'm a very easy person to talk to. People think, like, the media weave me as, like, a psychopath. I'm actually, like, the nicest person ever. Seem like a nice guy. If the commissioner or the task force that they've been hiding behind or any of the players wants to come and challenge me or have a conversation with me, I am here. I would love to sit down and have a conversation with them.

And I will tell you why I am the things that I'm doing. But if they don't, then next April you'll be seeing me in the 2027 NBA draft. And I will be the best draft pick ever. Get this. They're losing so much money, right? Think about if they ever let me play, which there is no rule against it. Think about this ticket sales. Think about all the endorsement deals they're going to get. It will be the biggest thing ever for them. So I'm doing them a favor.

Ennis Cantor, Freedom, the irony in all of this is that the one team has a problem with you being courtside. But people who advocate for biological men playing the sport, they don't have a problem with men being in the locker room with women without their consent. That's the bridge too far for women and particularly parents as well, not just the danger. And the unfairness of it all. But thank you for being here. I think historians will look back on this time and will laugh at all these things going on.

Thank you. Ennis Cantor, Freedom. Great to see you. All right.