Sparks’ Cameron Brink blasts Enes Kanter Freedom, offers support to transgender community
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Sparks center Cameron Brink condemned former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom for his behavior that got him removed from a WNBA game this week while declaring her support for transgender women.
Freedom, who recently claimed he is eligible for the WNBA draft because he declared himself a transgender woman, attended the Chicago Sky’s game against the visiting Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena on Sunday and was removed after he confronted Sky guard Natasha Cloud.
The Sky subsequently banned Freedom from attending games at Wintrust Arena.
Brink was asked about the situation before the Sparks’ game against Atlanta on Monday by Jarrod Castillo of the Mirror US, according to a video posted Wednesday on Threads.
“When it comes to the trans issues, I think it’s a nonissue, and I think it’s people trying to just come for the trans community, and I just don’t stand for that,” Brink said before blasting Freedom, who she said is “just trying to stay relevant.”
Brink then added: “I think 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 even have your own opinions on that. But I think taking something that’s a nonissue right now and just trying to use it for clickbait or for views, for likes, and then targeting a vulnerable community, is just really low.”
The $150-million training center in El Segundo is the biggest investment in women’s sports in the U.S., but it’s only a start with new ownership needed too.
Brink previously expressed support for transgender and gender non-conforming athletes, saying in an interview with Dime Magazine in 2024: “Some of my teammates go by they/them pronouns. I want to bring more acceptance to that and not just have people support us because of the way that we look.”
In an ESPN profile in July, Fever guard Sophie Cunningham said she did not support transgender women playing women’s sports, referring to them as “biological men.” Since then, Kanter and fellow former NBA player Royce White claimed they should be eligible for the WNBA draft.
The WNBA ruled both players ineligible, according to Front Office Sports.
The WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement includes only a single line addressing gender eligibility, stating in Article XIII, Section 1(a): “Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.”
Several other WNBA players have spoken out against the ire directed at transgender women, including Cloud, the Golden State Valkyries’ Gabby Williams and the Seattle Storm’s Stefanie Dolson.
There are no transgender players in the league.
