NBA veteran Robin Lopez reacted to former NBA players Enes Kanter and Royce White declaring for the 2027 WNBA Draft with a sarcastic takedown.
Lopez recently wrapped up his NBA career in 2024 after getting drafted in 2008 with the No.15 overall pick. While Lopez was never a star, he enjoyed a long career as a serviceable starter and rotational player.
The recent debate over trans women being included in the WNBA led to other former NBA players like Enes Kanter and Royce White to declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft, citing the vague language in the CBA about eligibility.
With Kanter and White trying to force the WNBA to exclude trans athletes through their draft declarations, Lopez criticized his former NBA peers heavily with strong comments against both.
"Biggest issue: If you're being drafted, people are saying, 'We want you around for 4 years,' and I can't imagine anybody wants Enes Kanter or Royce White around them for even 4 minutes. We've seen this illustrated whenever Enes is near Turkey, or Royce comes close to logic/reality."
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Lopez directly attacked both Kanter and White personally, referring to the reaction to Kanter's opposition of the incumbent Turkiye government and White's switch from mental health advocate to a political conspiracy theorist.
The former Stanford Cardinal Lopez clearly stands against Kanter and White's attempts at further politicizing a sensitive WNBA issue, which has been a very polarizing sports topic in recent weeks.
The WNBA is looking to address the language in the CBA to have stricter wording, but not necessarily an outright ban on future trans athletes potentially playing in the league.
The debate was sparked by Sophie Cunningham , but it has become something else entirely. Hopefully, the WNBA can find a solution that's satisfactory to all parties.
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