Former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom is continuing to stir up the debate over eligibility rules in women’s basketball, and this time he is dragging Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark into it.
Freedom has publicly talked about entering the WNBA Draft as part of a broader challenge to the league’s handling of transgender athlete eligibility. Former NBA player Royce White has made similar comments, turning what might otherwise be a technical policy debate into something much more public and provocative.
Freedom’s argument is straightforward: if the league does not clearly define who is eligible to compete in the WNBA, then he believes those rules should be tested as far as possible.
At 6-foot-10 with years of NBA experience, Freedom is obviously not presenting himself as a typical WNBA prospect. That is part of the point. He is using the idea of entering the draft to criticize what he sees as an inconsistent standard.
The WNBA has said discussions on transgender athletes are still ongoing.
“Today’s meeting covered a wide range of topics, including ongoing discussions on transgender athletes and the continued hate and vitriol directed at players online,” a league spokesperson said. “We will continue to engage all league stakeholders in the coming weeks and months. We will approach these important conversations thoughtfully and in alignment with the values of our league.”
Freedom has taken that lack of a final answer and turned it into material for social media.
Angel Reese became one of his latest targets.
“Sis! Once I go No. 1 pick in the 2027 @WNBA Draft, the first player I’m dunking on is Angel Reese. She’s the Paul George of the #WNBA. Just lean into the podcast already,” Freedom wrote on X.
The Paul George comparison was clearly meant as an insult. George has been criticized for some high-profile struggles in important postseason moments, and Freedom appeared to be suggesting that Reese has developed her own reputation for coming up short when it matters.
Reese has also faced plenty of online criticism over missed layups and shooting efficiency around the basket. Clips of those misses have circulated widely, particularly when they come during games connected in some way to Caitlin Clark.
At the same time, Reese has built a major profile outside basketball through podcasting, fashion and other media appearances. Freedom’s post was aimed at both sides of her public image, mocking her play while suggesting she is more comfortable behind a microphone.
His other attention-grabbing idea involves playing alongside Clark.
During an interview with former Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl, Freedom joked about being drafted by Indiana and forming a dominant pairing with the Fever star.
“I’m just going to go out there, play basketball, because that’s my job. I think I can do a pretty good job,” he said. “It’s going to be fun, especially if I get drafted by a team, maybe Indiana.”
Then he made the comparison that was guaranteed to get attention.
“Me and Caitlin will be modern Kobe and Shaq, I’m telling you.”
Freedom went even further, imagining Clark throwing him an alley-oop for a dunk before the two celebrated afterward.
The comparison is obviously exaggerated, but that is what makes it effective as trolling. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal formed one of the most dominant combinations in NBA history, winning three consecutive championships with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Clark, meanwhile, remains one of the biggest attractions in women’s basketball, and her long-running rivalry with Reese continues to generate interest.
Their connection goes back to college, when Reese’s LSU Tigers defeated Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2023 national championship game. Clark and Iowa returned the favor the following year by eliminating LSU from the NCAA tournament.
That rivalry followed both players into the WNBA and has become one of the league’s most discussed storylines.
Freedom is now using it to make his own point.
Whether he ever seriously attempts to become eligible for the WNBA Draft is almost beside the point. His comments are clearly designed to provoke discussion about league rules while generating laughs and outrage along the way.
As long as the eligibility debate remains unresolved, Freedom appears perfectly willing to keep pushing the issue — and Angel Reese may continue finding herself in the middle of his jokes.