Megan Rapinoe takes aim at Enes Kanter Freedom’s WNBA bid in brutal podcast rant: ‘Bad faith actor’
Megan Rapinoe has labeled Enes Kanter Freedom a ‘bad faith actor’ amid the former NBA player’s attempts controversial plan to join the league and courtside clash with Natasha Cloud.
Kanter has thrown himself into the heart of the trans athletes debate that has engulfed the WNBA in recent weeks by trying to take advantage of eligibility rules to enter next year’s draft.
The former New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder player then had an altercation with Cloud while sat courtside for the Chicago Sky’s game against Sophie Cunningham and the Indiana Fever on Sunday night.
He also wore a provocative T-shirt that included a definition of the word woman. ‘Woman. Noun,’ it read. ‘Adult human female.’ The words woman and female were highlighted in red.
Cloud stormed over to Kanter and a furious argument broke out between them, with a viral clip of the incident showing the pair shouting at each other. Cloud was held back by security as he stood up and spread his arms. Kanter was ejected from the arena.
Now former United States Women’s National Team soccer star Megan Rapinoe, who has previously clashed publicly with President Trump and is rarely afraid to discuss off-field topics, has taken aim at Kanter with a brutal takedown on her podcast.
US soccer legend Megan Rapinoe accused Enes Kanter Freedom of being a ‘bad faith actor’
Kanter, who has declared for the WNBA Draft, had a courtside clash with Natasha Cloud
The two-time World Cup winner said in a sarcastic tone: ‘He later, in continuing the absolute grift that was this whole thing, gave some quotes to OutKick Sports and Fox News – no surprise there – saying that he was just out there to protect women. Well, oh my God, thank you so much because that’s what we were asking for.
‘In fairness, you did warn us about men forcing their way into WNBA spaces. Lo and behold… Oh, you weren’t talking about yourself? OK. People who are “trying to protect women.” First of all, from who? From who? It’s yourself. It’s a big mirror. Y’all are the same people who were, like, s****ing on the league and its athletes from before, saying it was bad business and no one cared. You’re the same people who were banning people from playing soccer in the 1950s. You’re the same type of people.
‘Oh, but now they care about it a lot, don’t they? Because they’re seeing the success and the power the league has, and they’re seeing how popular it is and seeing how everybody loves it and how lit of a space it is. So, now they really care. So, they are going to try and continue coming after the W and other women’s sports leagues and its athletes after seeing all the power they have.’
Rapinoe then accused Freedom and fellow ex-NBA star Royce White of being ‘bad-faith actors’ as they try to publicly pursue a spot in the WNBA.
She continued: ‘This is not the same old story of, “Well, this is just online, or it’s just trolls, it’s just bots. It’s not actually happening.” No, it’s actually happening. They’re doing rallies before the game, they’re coming onto the court. They’re buying tickets. They’re in there – they’re not just trolls. They’re showing up in real life.
‘They want a mechanism to continue tearing down women period and women’s sports. I hate that this is true and I desperately want for us to get to a place where women athletes can just be left alone and be great and be paid well. People can come and watch and just be respected. But that is clearly not where we are.
‘The rise in women’s sports and the rise of the popularity in all these sports leagues, particularly the W, has come hand-in-hand with the rise of this hate and discrimination. It’s why it’s important for us as women athletes to continue to speak out about these issues and continue to do it together to show a united and collective fight.
‘Let’s make one thing clear: We do not need men in the WNBA, or women’s sports in general, to make it successful.’
Kanter Freedom was subsequently ejected and later banned from Wintrust Arena
The ex-NBA player wore a provocative t-shirt with a definition of a woman at the game
Kanter’s efforts to play in the WNBA were dealt a blow earlier this week when league bosses ruled him ineligible for the 2027 draft.
A league source said it is ‘not going to give oxygen to efforts designed to mock the league or use this topic to demean and marginalize others’, calling it a ‘publicity stunt’, per Front Office Sports.
He has also been banned from the Chicago Sky’s arena, team owner Michael Alter announced on Tuesday following the incident with Cloud.
‘He has demonstrated to us, unequivocally, that he has the potential to be a threat,’ Alter said, via ESPN.
He added that the only way he will ever be permitted to return is if ‘sometime in the future, he’s able to prove to us that he’s able to abide by our rules without being a potential threat.’
