Key Takeaways
- Donald Trump joked that he would give former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Dennis Rodman a "full pardon" to enter women’s sports.
- At a rally in Durant, Oklahoma, Trump called Freedom a "monster" who dreams of competing against women and asked Rodman whether he could make it in women’s basketball.
- Freedom has said he considers himself a trans woman and plans to enter the WNBA draft, arguing that self-identification meets the league’s eligibility requirements.
Donald Trump has granted permission for two former male athletes to enter women’s sports whenever they want.
The politician name-dropped former NBA stars Dennis Rodman and Enes Kanter Freedom as those he'd "pardon" to join the women's league during his Electric Rally speech in Durant, Oklahoma on Thursday (October 1). Freedom was in attendance, with Trump calling out the former Utah Jazz player around the 26-minute mark of the video below.
"I mean, in all fairness, this guy is a monster. He dreams of playing against women," Trump said. "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 OK."
Trump also took a moment to acknowledge Rodman before joking that he didn’t feel "large" while he took pictures with both men backstage.
"Dennis is the all-time rebounding king in the history of the NBA. So, Dennis, you're a little bit older, but you're in great shape," the commander-in-chief continued. "Do you think you'd be able to make it in women's basketball? I don't know, Dennis. I'm very worried about you."
While Rodman spent years of wearing androgynous clothing while in the NBA, Freedom has campaigned to enter the WNBA portal and expressed that he now considers himself a trans woman. In August, the athlete announced that he would be entering the WNBA draft,
"If simply declaring who you are is all that's required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA," he wrote in a social media post.
