“Rules Are Rules”: Ex-NBA Player Enes Kanter Doubles Down on WNBA Ambitions With New Viral Video

Just a day after posting a shirtless workout video captioned “Let ‘The Transition’ to the @WNBA begin,” set to the song “I Am Woman,” he decided one viral stunt wasn’t making the point clearly enough. Enes Kanter spelled it out, in writing, for anyone still missing it.

Kanter posted a new video and had a statement, doubling down on his declared intent to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft. 

“The @WNBA says a woman is anyone who claims to be one. So if I say I’m a woman, you have to accept it. Those are the rules the #WNBA created,” Kanter wrote. “Why does anyone get to decide whose journey is real and whose isn’t? Who gets to judge? Rules Are Rules! #LetFreedomPlay.”

Kanter has repeated his argument across every post in this campaign. A direct challenge to the WNBA’s own governing language. The league’s CBA states that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA,” but includes no clarifying language on gender identity or sex assigned at birth. 

Kanter’s entire stunt is built around exploiting that. If the league’s own rules don’t define who qualifies, he’s arguing, that his self-declaration should be accepted on the same terms anyone else’s would be. “I’m simply asking that the current rules be applied equally to everyone — the rules that represent the very values many WNBA players and coaches have publicly advocated for,” Kanter said in an earlier video. “I look forward to the WNBA honoring its stated principles.”

It started after Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham’s comments opposed trans athletes competing in women’s sports. It divided the league and drew both fierce criticism and vocal support from players and coaches.

In the aftermath, Kanter announced that he intended to declare for the draft. He followed that with a formal written letter to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

“Please accept this formal document as my official written notification to the Women’s National Basketball Association of my voluntary decision to enter the player pool for the 2027 WNBA Draft,” the letter read.

He then cited the league’s CBA: “I am submitting this notice to exercise my draft rights and to affirm that I am at least twenty-two years old and that I have no remaining intercollegiate eligibility, as required by Article XIII, Section 1(b).”

On Monday, Kanter made it official. He posted a video of himself signing the declaration document with the caption “Officially official, @WNBA I have officially declared for the 2027 #WNBA Draft. Rules are rules! #LetFreedomPlay.”

The following day, the workout video came out, which now has over 10 million views on X, showing the 6-foot-10, 250-pound Kanter doing bicep curls shirtless while “I Am Woman” played in the background, captioned “Let ‘The Transition’ to the @WNBA begin.”

A Divided Reaction Following Kanter’s Stunt

Reactions across social media have split. Some commenters played along, others accused Kanter of mocking transgender people. The Mirror reported the posts drew “a fierce wave of backlash, with droves of critics accusing him of poking fun at gender transitioning.”

Kanter wasn't alone. Former NBA player Royce White followed Kanter’s lead with his own declaration, describing the WNBA situation as emblematic of what he called the country “losing a lot of things.”

White has gone further than Kanter in some interviews. He described himself as identifying as transgender for basketball purposes and said he’d expect access to the women’s locker room if selected.

Where Things Stand

The 2027 WNBA Draft isn’t scheduled until April. This will give the league time before it has to formally respond to Kanter’s declaration. Commissioner Engelbert acknowledged that the league's leadership plans to discuss the topic, but no formal ruling or rule clarification has been issued.

For now, the ball, as multiple outlets have put it, remains in the WNBA’s court.