Kevin Durant wants no part of the WNBA’s gender eligibility debate.
During Houston Rockets Media Day on Tuesday, reporters pressed the veteran forward on the ongoing campaign by his former Thunder teammate, Enes Kanter Freedom, and former NBA first-round pick Royce White to keep biological men out of women’s sports.
Durant dismissed the campaign entirely, pivoting instead to the WNBA’s recent sneaker deals and revenue bumps, not addressing the core issue of biological males entering female leagues.
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“All that stuff used to be noise, man. WNBA is flourishing,” Durant said.
“Look what these women are doing. Look at the money they’ve made over the last few years. Look at visibility of their league. They got four or five signature athletes on major brands that represent major brands. These women have brands for themselves, the business women for themselves outside the game.
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“So a lot of that stuff, the politics that they bring into sports nowadays, I understand the message in behind what they’re trying to do, but a person like me who just strictly cares for the purity of the sport, I do not give a f*** about none of that. I care about flourishing and pushing the league forward and that’s what’s happening right now.”
Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) looks up after a play during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Toyota Center. (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)
Turkish-American former basketball player and human rights activist Enes Kanter Freedom is seen prior to a game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 23, 2026. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
Kanter Freedom and White have spent months actively challenging the WNBA’s gender eligibility loopholes.
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The duo highlighted those gaps by announcing plans to “identify as women” and declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft.
Royce White No. 30 of the Power reacts during the BIG3 Championship against Trilogy at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga., on Aug. 21, 2022. (Getty Images for BIG3)
Riley Gaines speaks with Royce White at Indiana Fever game.
Critics and current WNBA players have dismissed the draft declaration as a stunt; Kanter Freedom maintains his singular mission is protecting female athletes. Royce White specifically targeted the WNBA’s current collective bargaining agreement, arguing that the text relies on vague language regarding gender identity and fails to mandate that players be biological females explicitly.
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The ideological clash spilled into Wintrust Arena in August when Kanter Freedom sat court side at a Chicago Sky-Indiana Fever game. The former NBA center engaged in a heated verbal altercation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud over the issue, resulting in Kanter Freedom’s ejection and a subsequent venue ban, a move backed by players like Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink.
Kevin Durant (7) of the Houston Rockets reacts during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Toyota Center on Jan. 15, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)
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Kanter Freedom and White want the league to draw a hard line on who belongs on the floor. The policy clash isn’t going away, but KD has made his choice: stick to sports.
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