President Donald Trump suggests he would pardon NBA stars Enes Kanter Freedom and Dennis Rodman to play in the WNBA.
On October 1, 2026, President Donald Trump’s rally in Durant, Oklahoma, had two former NBA stars in the audience. Enes Kanter Freedom and Dennis Rodman were mentioned by Trump during his speech. He said he would give the two a pardon to play in female sports categories. On February 5, 2025, Trump signed an executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.” The order barred transgender women from competing in women’s sports. The president referenced it in his speech, saying he would only allow the two NBA stars to compete in women’s sports, stating:
“We got critical race theory and transgender insanity [mutilation] out of our schools. We banned all men except for Dennis Rodman and Freedom. They’re the only two men that we’re going to allow to play in women’s sports. We banned all men from playing in women’s sports.”
Claiming that they “will break every record in the history of women’s sports,” Trump had this to say:
“I didn’t even know this stuff. For Oklahoma State University and five-time NBA champion. You’re a five-time NBA champion, Dennis. That’s former Oklahoma City Thunder center, so those two guys, they’re good and they have an exemption. I’m giving them a full pardon that they can go into women’s sports anytime they want. And I guarantee you when they do, they will break, even though they’re slightly older. Although Freedom looks like he’s pretty young. It will break every record in the history of women’s sports.”
Donald Trump Talks About Enes Kanter Freedom Playing in Women’s Sports
At the rally, Donald Trump spoke about the upcoming November 2026 midterm election. He also touched on Enes Kanter Freedom, who was at the rally and had invited the president to his first WNBA game in 2027. The sitting president claimed that Freedom is “willing to say that he’s a woman in order to play against women.” Stating that he does not think the former NBA star “believes that,” he went on to say:
“The choice in this election is very simple. You can vote for the radical left, Democrat communist to loot your wealth, raise your taxes…. Mutilate your children, your transgender children. Have men playing in women’s sports. Where’s Freedom?…. Stand up, please. Look at this guy. In all fairness, this guy is a monster. He dreams of playing against women. In fact, he’s willing to say that he’s a woman in order to play against women, and I don’t think he really believes that, but that’s okay. These are minor details.”
Also Read: “It Was Mostly Fake News”: Donald Trump on DoD Report Mentioning Munition Shortages
I’m Abhishek Sharma, an author at TigerJek.com. I enjoy exploring games, testing different strategies, and turning what I learn into clear, useful guides. My goal is to help players understand the game better and improve without the usual confusion.
