Enes Kanter Freedom makes Caitlyn Jenner peace offering to WNBA and Cathy Engelbert as trans athlete saga takes new twist

Ex-NBA star Enes Kanter Freedom - who has declared for the 2027 WNBA Draft - has extended an olive branch to the league and called for a 'peace summit' amid the ongoing drama surrounding him and the debate about transgender athlete inclusivity.

Freedom recently sparked controversy when he announced his decision to declare for the WNBA Draft, in an attempt to bypass the league's trans athlete policy which was thrust into the spotlight following comments from Sophie Cunningham.

Following that, tempers boiled at the recent Fever-Sky game after Freedom turned up to watch and subsequently clashed with one of the stars on the court. 

He was swiftly ejected from the arena and later sat down with Fox News to discuss the matter, while stars from across the league proceeded to call out his behavior. 

Now, Freedom is seemingly looking to squash the beef. He took to social media on Monday to address WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert head on. 

On X, he wrote: 'WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the @WNBA task force, I am now speaking directly to you.

'I’m going to keep this short and sweet, so open your ears and listen carefully. I would like to offer you a peace summit, moderated by my friend @Caitlyn_Jenner. I’ve already spoken with her, and she’s in.

'I’m not a troublemaker. I’m more of a peacemaker. Listen, the whole world is laughing at you. You have turned the #WNBA into a laughingstock.

'It’s time to stop hiding behind closed-door meetings, excuses, and delays and finally give the public a clear answer.

'Let’s have the peace summit. No shouting. No hiding. No carefully scripted statements.

'Let’s sit across the table from each other, have an open and respectful conversation, and address the questions millions of people are asking.

'Let’s put everything on the table and let the public hear both sides. If you truly believe in your position, you should have no problem defending it publicly.

'So, Commissioner Engelbert and the WNBA task force, the invitation is officially on the table. Name the time. Name the place. Let’s talk. Are you in?'.

Jenner, a former men's Olympic gold medalist and transgender woman, recently waded in by taking aim at the WNBA's 'hypocrisy' over trans controversy.

'XX are in, XY are out. It's that simple,' Jenner told Fox News this month. 'And I think they're doing a good job just to show the WNBA how…the hypocrisy is going on here. 

'We have to protect women's sports. I've been coming on this show for years and years. I want to protect women's sports.' 

Jenner gained fame as a US sporting hero when, then as Bruce Jenner, she won the gold medal in decathlon at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. 

She came out as transgender and transitioned in 2015, yet has since supported calls to ban transgender athletes from women's sports.

The WNBA has been engulfed by controversy over transgender athletes in recent weeks, after Indiana Fever star Cunningham said she wants to 'protect young girls' from 'biological men.' 

Since those comments, Freedom and fellow former NBA star Royce White have both claimed that they have formally declared for next year's WNBA Draft.