Cameron Brink couldn’t even remember the guy’s name, and honestly, that might be the most brutal part of the whole thing.
She Didn’t Hold Back
Speaking with The Mirror’s Jarrod Castillo in a video posted to Threads on Wednesday, August 26, the Los Angeles Sparks forward was asked about Enes Kanter Freedom’s whole “I’m declaring for the WNBA Draft” stunt. Her response? “I don’t even know what the f his name is.” Then, once someone reminded her, she didn’t soften it one bit: “Enes Kanter. He’s a stupid piece of s, and I think a lot of people think that. I think he’s just trying to stay relevant.”
Not gonna lie, I laughed reading that. There’s something almost refreshing about an athlete just saying the quiet part out loud instead of doing the usual “no comment” dance. Brink, 24, clearly wasn’t in the mood to pretend this guy’s antics deserve a serious response. And honestly? Fair.
So What Did Kanter Freedom Actually Do?
Freedom, 34, made headlines earlier this month when he announced he was declaring for the WNBA Draft. His stated reason was to “force the league” to clarify its eligibility rules around trans athletes. Here’s the thing though – Freedom isn’t trans. And there are exactly zero trans athletes currently in the WNBA or anywhere close to being in position to play in the league. So the whole premise was built on a problem that, from what I can tell, doesn’t actually exist. It’s a solution in search of a crisis, basically.
The former Oklahoma City Thunder center – who’s been more known lately for political stunts than anything happening on a basketball court – then got into it with several people online after the announcement. Because of course he did. This is the pattern with this guy at this point.
Why Is Everyone So Annoyed?
Look, I’ve seen this playbook before. Someone with fading relevance in their actual profession finds a hot-button issue, picks a side that’ll generate maximum outrage, and rides the attention wave. It works, in the sense that people are talking about him again. But it also makes a mockery of a league full of women who are just trying to do their jobs and be taken seriously as athletes.
“He’s a stupid piece of s, and I think a lot of people think that. I think he’s just trying to stay relevant.” – Cameron Brink
And that last line from Brink is really the whole story, isn’t it? “Trying to stay relevant.” Freedom hasn’t played in the NBA since 2021. He built a post-playing identity around outspoken political commentary, and it’s gotten him plenty of TV hits and social media buzz. But turning a legitimate roster decision into a publicity stunt, using a group of women’s professional athletes as the backdrop? That’s a different thing entirely.
The WNBA Players Aren’t Playing Along
What’s interesting here is how little patience current WNBA players seem to have for this stuff. Brink wasn’t hedging, wasn’t diplomatic, wasn’t trying to give a “both sides” answer for the cameras. She just said what a lot of players are apparently thinking privately. And I’d bet money she’s not the only one who feels this way – she’s just the one who said it on camera.
These are women who’ve spent years fighting for better pay, better facilities, actual TV coverage, and basic respect for their league. To have someone parachute in with a stunt announcement, no real basketball ambition behind it, and use their platform as a prop for an unrelated political fight… yeah, I get why that would tick people off. It’s not about the specific issue he’s raising so much as the disrespect baked into how he’s raising it.
A Quick Reality Check
To be clear about the facts here: declaring for a draft doesn’t mean anything if the league doesn’t select you or even consider you eligible in the first place. The WNBA has its own eligibility process, and nothing about Freedom’s announcement changes existing rules or forces anyone’s hand the way he claimed it would. It’s mostly symbolic. Loud, but symbolic.
What This Actually Means
My honest take? Brink’s comments will probably get more real engagement than anything Freedom’s stunt generated on its own merits. That tends to happen when someone cuts through the noise with a blunt, unscripted reaction instead of a press-release-style statement. People remember “stupid piece of s” a lot longer than they remember vague draft eligibility debates.
Will this change anything about how Freedom operates? Doubtful. Guys like this tend to double down rather than reflect, especially once they’ve built an entire second career around controversy. But it does say something that the athletes actually living the WNBA experience day to day aren’t buying the narrative he’s selling. At some point, the league – and its players – get to decide who they take seriously and who they treat like background noise. Based on Brink’s answer, I think we already know which one Freedom is.
