Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom will be at Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at State Farm Arena in Atlanta as part of his protest against transgender athletes competing in the league, he announced on social media.
The WNBA does not currently roster any transgender athletes.
Though the Golden State Valkyries have largely stayed out of the league's culture wars, guard Gabby Williams became part of the discourse surrounding transgender athletes when a clip surfaced of her answering a question about what problems remain for LGBTQ+ players in the WNBA.
"We see trans peoples' rights being stripped away from them. There's a lot of discourse around trans athletes and where they can compete," Williams said in May. "I would welcome a trans athlete on my team or against my team, anytime. I don't think it's a problem in the world. It's just another way to kind of attack trans people."
Kanter Freedom's protest started online and took on new life when he and fellow former NBA player Royce White wrote a letter declaring for the WNBA draft. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert responded in a letter that they're ineligible as men, after Republican lawmakers called on the league to clarify its eligibility rules.
Kanter Freedom sat baseline at a game between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever wearing a shirt that read "Woman noun. an adult human female." Indiana Fever forward Sophie Cunningham had voiced her opposition to trans athletes participating in the WNBA. Sky player Natasha Cloud got into an argument with Kanter Freedom during the game and he was ejected from the game as well as banned from the arena.
In a post on X on Saturday, Kanter Freedom - who played 11 seasons in the NBA and hasn't played since 2022 - mentioned Williams and Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese in his announcement that he is attending the game.
"As you all know, this all started with an interview featuring Gabby Williams of the Golden State Valkyries when she said, ‘I have no problem with trans athletes playing on my team or against my team," he wrote. "Her words gave me so much hope and motivation to come out as a woman and officially declare for the WNBA Draft. I can't wait to watch my favorite player, the woman who inspired me to become who I am today!"
The Valkyries have been vocally supportive of the LGBTQ+ community, of which the Bay Area has a strong representation.
"For me, sports is about belonging," head coach Natalie Nakase said in September. "It's about inclusivity. It's about allowing everyone to be their authentic self. I'm big on that because I have been criticized for my height, for my ethnicity. I've been in those ‘you shouldn't belong here,' (conversations), and for me I don't want that space, especially Golden State, to ever feel like that."
Conservative discourse had already begun to infiltrate these WNBA Finals. Over the weekend, various outlets reported that Valkyries and Dream players left the court during the singing of the national anthem in apparent protest.
Many WNBA teams leave the court during the singing of the Star Spangled Banner and return before tipoff, according to Associated Press. In 2017, the league suspended rules that "Players, coaches, and trainers are to stand and line up in a dignified posture along the sidelines or on the foul line during the playing of the National Anthem." Teams either do it in social protest or to prepare for the game.
The Valkyries have left the court during the anthem before every game in their two-year existence.
"That's just our pregame routine, we've been doing that since last year," guard Veronica Burton said on Monday.
Is there a message or statement behind the Valkyries decision to do so?
"No," Burton said.
Staff writer Ron Kroichick contributed to this article
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There’s more to San Francisco with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Enes Kanter Freedom plans to attend WNBA Finals Game 3, citing Valkyries' Gabby Williams.