Los Angeles Sparks center Cameron Brink minced no words while sharing her feelings about former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom.
"I don't even know what the (expletive) his name is – Enes Kanter – he's a stupid piece of (expletive)," Brink said on Aug. 24 ahead of a matchup with the Atlanta Dream. "And I think a lot of people think that, and I think he's just trying to stay relevant."
Brink's words came Aug. 24, a day after Kanter Freedom was removed from an Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky game after he and Sky guard Natasha Cloud exchanged words. A former NBA player, Kanter Freedom on Aug. 7 declared himself eligible for the 2027 WNBA Draft, saying he identifies as a woman. He was sitting courtside at Wintrust Arena in a T-shirt that said: "WOMAN noun.
adult human female."
Cloud approached Kanter Freedom when a timeout was called with 1:22 remaining in the third quarter. He stood up, arms outstretched and approached the court, stepping over photographers on the floor. Cloud was held back by teammates, and Kanter Freedom was quickly surrounded by security. He was eventually escorted out.
Kanter Freedom has been outspoken about the current transgender athlete conversation surrounding the WNBA. An openly trans woman has never played in the WNBA.
Kanter Freedom has since been banned from attending Sky home games. The WNBA will not bar Kanter Freedom from attending future games at other venues, a person familiar with the league's thinking told USA TODAY.
Kanter Freedom and Royce White, another former NBA player who declared for the WNBA draft, are not eligible to play in the league, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person said WNBA is not going to "give oxygen to efforts designed to mock the league or use this topic to demean or marginalize others."
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
"For me, personally, I think when it comes to the trans issue ... I think it's a non-issue, and I think it's people trying to just come for the trans community, and I just don't stand for that," Brink said.
"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 just trying to use it for clickbait, for views, for likes, and then targeting a vulnerable community is just really low."
WNBA continues to face increased scrutiny
Although no transgender women play in the WNBA, the league has become a lightning rod for the topic of gender inclusion in sports following comments made by Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham in an ESPN story. Cunningham then doubled down, saying young girls playing sports “shouldn't have to go against biological men.”
Controversy has followed. A Seattle Storm co-owner was suspended for five home games for comments she made to Cunningham fans. On Aug. 16, a security guard at an Indiana Fever at Atlanta Dream game asked two fans to cover up their XX-XY shirts. XX-XY Athletics opposes transgender athlete inclusion in women's sports and was founded by Jennifer Sey, a former gymnast and former Levi Strauss chief marketing officer who says her brand exists to “protect women’s sports and spaces."
WNBA coaches recently weighed in on the ongoing conversation. The Minnesota Lynx's Cheryl Reeve called for less hate and more love, while the Golden State Valkyries' Natalie Nakase didn't want to give the conversation "oxygen," saying "transgender kids belong." Dallas Wings coach Jose Fernandez said, “I’m not partaking in the circus and everything that takes away from our team, the league. This (expletive) is not happening in the NFL, MLB, NBA.”
Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has faced calls for her resignation and criticism for not swiftly handling the issue. The league put out a statement Aug. 12 denouncing "bad faith actors," and Engelbert first spoke publicly to the Associated Press Aug. 20, saying: "People are trying to use the league to sow divisiveness. ... We're being made the center of a political football by individuals who have never watched the WNBA, never written about it, or reported on it. These voices are using our league as a platform for their own agendas, rather than supporting our athletes and the growth of women's sports."
Transgender athletes and U.S. legislation
Cunningham's comments on transgender athlete participation and the ensuing conversation came after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld states' right to ban transgender girls and women from participation in women's sports.
Legislation passed in 27 states barring transgender girls and women from participating in women's sports is aimed at a small portion of the population — 1% of people aged 13 and over in the U.S. identify as transgender, according to a 2025 study by the Williams Institute at UCLA Law.
The Human Rights Campaign reported in 2023 that 19% of transgender youth nationwide were playing sports, including fewer than 1,300 who played sports in school.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LA Sparks' Cameron Brink blasts Enes Kanter Freedom over WNBA antics
