President Donald Trump said he would give former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Dennis Rodman a “full pardon” to play in women’s sports during a rally in Oklahoma.
Trump’s comment therefore does not mean he has been cleared to play in the WNBA.
However, league sources later told The Associated Press and Reuters that Kanter Freedom was not eligible for the draft.
Reuters also reported that league sources said the two were not eligible. The WNBPA also publishes the collective bargaining agreement, which includes a specific section on player eligibility and the WNBA Draft. The WNBA’s 2026 season schedule shows that the league’s draft and player eligibility are handled through its established league process.
Neither report said that Trump’s comments had changed that status.
Trump’s comment was about their participation in women’s sports, but a presidential pardon does not itself deter Enes Kanter Freedom declared for 2027 WNBA Draftmine who can enter or play in a professional sports league. Kanter Freedom announced in August that he intended to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft. The WNBA and its players’ union operate under league rules and a collective bargaining agreement.
He then said he expected them to “break every record in the history of women’s sports. In a post on X, he said he had reviewed the WNBA’s eligibility guidelines with his team and believed he met the requirements.
