What began as a series of absurd public claims from retired and inactive basketball figures has quickly devolved into a masterclass in failed trolling.
The entire premise of their public posturing is supposedly about protecting women from outside competition. Yet, they immediately turned around and tried to identify as women or declare themselves in the same league they claim to be defending.
Claiming to be a savior of women’s athletics, they are simultaneously attempting to force their own way into the WNBA. That approach completely exposes the insincerity of their crusade.
Enes Kanter Freedom (photo courtesy TIME)
Enes Kanter Freedom stands out as the prime troll, largely because he actually cashed in and made over $100 million across his long NBA career before pivoting to headline-chasing stunts, like this.
Courtesy Rated Red on Facebook
The hollow posturing looks even more absurd when measured against the players they claim to challenge. Royce White stands as a prime example of a player who WNBA stars have easily surpassed financially, given that his very first NBA contract was his only one, followed by a minimal financial footprint in the Big Three.
In fact, players in the Unrivaled league command higher earnings than Big Three players as well, giving WNBA and women’s basketball stars another massive financial edge over him.
Talk of meeting professional draft standards rings completely hollow coming from players with their own troubled institutional track records. Neither Kanter Freedom nor White meets the baseline criteria of being active, competitive players building a legitimate path to the league. White flamed out of the NBA after playing just three games. Kanter was ruled permanently ineligible to play college basketball because he received impermissible benefits from a professional team overseas.
The grandstanding about dominating professional leagues looks even more ridiculous when looking at their actual track records, such as refusing to fly and ditching big games. It is hard to take a hardline competitor stance seriously when one of them couldn’t even manage the basic travel requirements to show up for their own Big Three team assignments.
The core argument collapses entirely under its own weight. If their mission were truly about addressing the landscape of women’s basketball or competitive integration, they could have looked at existing models—such as the French League’s second division (Ligue Féminine 2), where transgender player Julie Tétart has competed for the Monaco Basket Association.
But instead of engaging with actual sport administration or logistics, they chose to pull lazy publicity stunts. If they really wanted to commit to the bit, the obvious, high-effort troll would have been to actually invest their money into building a dedicated league and naming it “Balls Up” to match their bravado or try playing in an existing league that accommodates transgender athletes.
Ultimately, the contrast couldn’t be sharper. While internet-trolling athletes chase cheap headlines—whether Enes is leaning on personal family fallout or Royce is trying to transition into public office—WNBA players continue to serve as masterclass activists. They drive genuine, high-stakes social and community change, proving that the real leaders are on the court, while the noise stays on the sidelines.
