211: Enes Kanter Freedom on Turkey’s Bounty, the NBA and the WNBA Draft

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i'm like i've got it right here but ennis canter freedom and i feel like a lot of people have heard of you because you've definitely made a splash um a little a little bit i mean you played 11 seasons in the nba which is absolutely insane uh you're not a little guy definitely not you stand out yep so you grew up in turkey you grew up in turkey and you left at 17 when i was 17 yeah and what was that how did that happen what was your parents reaction so i'll tell you a little bit about my childhood because i think it's important for our audience to uh hear about it uh i grew up in turkey i'm born in switzerland actually i grew up in turkey and you know growing up as i was it was a very interesting childhood you know and i remember it was right after 9 11 and um you know i went downstairs to play with my friends and my friends were not even teenagers right they were burning american flags and they were breaking crosses and i asked one of my friends i'm like guys what are you doing they should they said well we should hate america we should hate christians and we should hate the west and they gave me a flag to burn it they gave me a flag they gave me a lighter and they said burn it i looked down i'm like this is not a right thing to do i ran upstairs to my mom and i was like mom my friends are telling me to hate christians hate america what do i do my mom said i'm not going to tell you what to do but do not hate anyone before you meet them and she turned on the tv it was the images and videos of 9 9 11 right she said look at these people this is someone's mother this is someone's father someone's daughter do not hate anyone just because of their pain so that day i gave a promise to my mom goosebumps and you know the environment that i was growing up in was getting more and more toxic every day i mean in many countries in middle east you have an american flag in front of schools in classes and if you don't step on that flag you're not even allowed to attend the class wow i had no idea about the talk how toxic it was so well you're taught to and it goes back to like nurture versus nature right and it's like what you're taught to believe in like a child is not born racist a child is not born to hate people a child is not like you are so innocent but you're taught these things it's it's not the religion or culture it's the it's the politician it's because it's the easiest way to be re-elected again you attack america you attack the attack the west so the environment that i was growing up in was getting more and more toxic every day my dad was like finally like when i was 17 years old he's like okay enough is enough you're going to america to play basketball and go to school wow and then that's how i came for the first time and so when you came to america was it just you that came or how did that work it was all me it was just all by myself i got in a plane i landed for the first time in new york it was it was it was amazing because you know obviously you growing up i was watching a lot of american movies right and when i was about to land you see like the statue of liberty and the new york i was like oh my god this is crazy so i was very nervous but excited at the same time what was the first thing that like shocked you about america so in my i think it was my uh my high school practice right we had an early practice you don't really eat heavy for breakfast you eat something like like a cereal or like a maybe donut so i'm eating the cereal and all my teammates were just coming in like laughing at me i'm like at one point i'm like why are you guys laughing at me so they said what you're eating is not cereal it's cheese it so i thought cheese it was a cereal and i just pour milk in it and i'm just eating right i'm like i guess americans likes their you know cereal salty and then later on they taught me like this is not you don't eat this with milk you just eat it by itself it was interesting it was it was a fun experience and then college because you went to kentucky i went to kentucky yeah so um i went to kentucky but like i'm at that point i'm trying to learn english right so everybody in kentucky talks with this like a very heavy accent oh yeah trust me i have literally like my partner is from like new york and la and all these and he's like i can barely understand some people like from the south he's like it doesn't like my grandmother he just sits there and listens and he's like i can't understand anything she says so i'm trying to learn english at that point and i asked one of my teammates i'm like hey man like is there like a show out there that i can watch and learn english he said i got the perfect show for you i was like what is it he said jersey shore he said he said watch that show you will learn english in no time so i'm like i'm in my dorm i'm just watching this show right you're this college guy best playing basketball and like you know watching jersey shore i was like if this is what america is about they're doomed man it was just bad that's amazing so when you signed to play at kentucky there was a whole ordeal with the ncaa yeah and what was that so in europe it's normal that you became a early age i stopped playing basketball like when i was a teenager and i became a professional when i was 14 15 years old so they pay you oh holy cow yeah so it's very normal in in um in in you know in europe but just just because they pay you you're not allowed you're not allowed to be paid in ncaa back then so they didn't let me play and i was like so i turned down millions of dollars in turkey and came here they just to play college uh college basketball and go to school the same time so when they came back and said well you're not you're not eligible i'm like i cannot believe i just turned down like a few million dollars when i was 16 years old yeah and now you're like okay what do i do i'm now here in a foreign country yeah what and so what was your plan so i couldn't play college and at one point the ncaa said you're not even allowed to practice with the team so at that point i was very frustrated so at that point i'm like this is just horrible so but i didn't want to go back i wanted to stay here and actually go to school and play and even practice with my teammates um so they made me an assistant coach so at the age of like 18 i was an assistant coach so i could practice with the team i took the coach cal calipari he's like well just get ready for the draft you know just don't worry about it um and i got ready for the draft holy cow so you went you entered into the draft at 18 uh just turned 19 just turned 19 and what was that experience like i mean getting drafted was obviously my dream and i got drafted by like third overall pick which is one of the highest in a european player that i've ever done um i got drafted by utah jazz okay my mom was super happy because there's nothing going on utah no parties no clubs uh it was just peace very peaceful people they knock my door so many times we have beautiful conversations you know i love it it was awesome but um i spent three and a half years there no starbucks no because they can they're not allowed to drink caffeine yeah uh it was awesome i think it was an amazing experience then i got uh traded to oklahoma city thunder okay and was that when you were traded for carmelo anthony that's that's actually uh so i played for i played two and a half years for oklahoma city thunder then i got drafted so then i got traded with mellow to you know new york okay then i'm like okay this is now fun yeah this is new york i mean it's new york and they let me tell you for people that don't know these nba guys they have fun they do they have a ton of fun yes we do um it's yes in my past life i actually went to the nba draft i dated a guy who was getting drafted oh and i it was like first round 12th pick yeah that's pretty good yeah pretty great that's really good actually uh so i did get to go to the draft it was a really cool experience yeah it was but no offense don't ever date an nba player let me tell you something whoever is watching this right to all the parents out there i am i can say this and i'm an nba player um if i ever had if i have a daughter i would not let her date an athlete see especially an nba player i know some of the stories which we can get into it if you want but i'm not going to let her date an athlete I think over 95% and I'm being nice person of the NBA players cheats without a doubt let me 100 one of my rookie do you know what okay rookie hazing is the thing I don't know if you know about it so one of my rookie duties was um whenever we travel you know uh to Utah because I was playing for Utah right um they all gave me their second phone so I was going home with 12 phones yes because they they have I say they have their everyday phone then they have their ho phone you know like they have their phone that just the and they look on Instagram like if they're going to play in Atlanta they find these like hot influencers in Atlanta and hey I'm coming to your city and these girls just like meet up in their hotel room so and they really think it's going to turn into a relationship oh god it's it's not so I had to charge all 12 phones and whenever we go back on the road I have to bring I had I had like a huge bag I had to put like 12 12 phones in it and I have to bring it and just pass it on when we're in the road games yeah it was just bad man I mean I I see like all these years was just waiting for us in the hotel room I had respect for you know for everyone out there I did not do any of that because I have morals and values and principles but I mean they were just waiting for it was just like a menu right but also you can't these guys yes if you're cheating on your spouse you're cheating on your significant other there's a special place in hell for you but also these women are so they're waiting there and they're like hey I'll take my clothes off for you I'll they and I'm like it's just as much the woman's fault than it is the man's okay so how is it already the middle of October I'm literally mind blown between Halloween the holidays creeping up and everything else I have going on right now cooking a real dinner during the week is just not happening and I'm not gonna lie that's usually whenever I end up eating whatever is closest which is never really a good idea and that's where Tempo comes in Tempo delivers fresh chef-crafted dietician approved meals right to your door each one is perfectly portioned for lunch or dinner and ready in just two minutes yes I said that right two minutes my go-to is the Churri grilled chicken when I want something with a little kick the spicy carnitas pork rice bowl is so so good there's over 20 recipes every week made from nutrient-rich ingredients so basically I never get bored whether you want protein-packed meals with over 30 grams of protein or something fiber-rich there's a Tempo meal for 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visit crown coins.com sign up in seconds enter code crown and get a free lucky wheel bonus you may win up to 10,000 sweeps coins crown coins.com that's c-r-o-w-n coins.com no purchase needed code valid for new users only void were prohibited by law 18 plus terms and conditions apply and you know it was so scary so in my first year we had this like a rookie meetings usually like a retired player or a former player comes in and gives like these talks about women yeah so there was this one player came and he was telling us about a story so he said we traveled to an NBA city we went out and I met with this really hot girl I brought her back to my hotel so we did what we had to do but during during what we were doing she was she was she was just keep telling me I'll be rough with me right just smack me here and do this and do that I know where this is going as soon as he said as soon as we put our clothes on and she was about to leave she turned around and said if you don't write me a check for $100,000 I'm calling the police and say you raped me so and that's the scary I say that's the scary world that we live in and we were all just looking at each other like what and like so we asked him so what did you do he said I had millions of dollars of endorsement I have contracts I had a family I had kids he said if she asked a million I have to write it because if I don't if she ever comes out and say oh this and that player raped me then I'm gonna lose my millions of dollars of contract I'm gonna I have to get divorced and I cannot explain to my teammates right my whole life will be ruined so after we heard that conversation I was just like this is crazy and this was a one of the good stories I had some I had some pretty crazy stories as well that's insane I but again it's it's just a sad world that we live in yeah that this happens but I love the fact that you're like all right if I have a daughter you're not dating an athlete that's it what that's my first rule especially an NBA player because I see it a lot I see too much they're definitely uh interesting uh so when you played 11 seasons in the NBA when did that come to an end so uh my last team was Boston Celtics and I talk about the problems are happening in my home country Turkey for the last 10 11 years and NBA was really supportive actually and they gave me so much they gave me so much hope to fight for what's right and fight the dictatorship in Turkey and then one day I was like you know what um God gave me this huge platform so why am I just only speaking uh for Turkey let me just speak for every other countries out there that is a dictatorship so I talk about on behalf of you know the all the minorities that is being tortured uh by the Chinese Communist Party and obviously between NBA in China annually is billions of dollars yes more people watch NBA games in China than American population last year so that is crazy the biggest market is bigger than America I had no idea every NBA player like before the season ends right they plan their China trip like think about this you just had like an 82 game a crazy season your body's tired you're hurt what do you do you get rest you go to vacation with your family they were planning their China trip because they said we can't make so much money wow yeah that's insane so when you became very outspoken there what was the price that you had to pay for that so um I was 29 years old and when I was when I started to criticize Nike or when I started to criticize China you know many of my teammates came to me I said like listen this is your last year every athlete in America knows that there are two things that you're not allowed to talk about one number one China and number two Nike you criticize those two things you'll be out of the league so they told me that I have fun this is my last year uh my agent called me like listen I work for you I don't work for the NBA and you are speaking out about some very you know uh very big things um you're 29 years old you can play another six years in this league so you're not only throwing away your career but you're throwing away around 45 to 50 million dollars wow but I was like I had this conversation with my teammates as well I was like put yourself in those innocent people's shoes especially ones in China the one is in concentration camp if your mother if your daughter if your sister was in those concentration camps getting torture and rape every day would you still pick money in business over your morals values and principles it's the answer is pretty easy and at that point I feel like you had made good money yeah you know you had made good money to where you look sure 50 million dollars more would have been great but you made enough to where you kind of, you had that luxury of saying, you know what, I can walk away and still be okay. And that, but again, to give up $50 million, that's a lot of money. That's a lot of money. And I'm like, oh, that, that had to have taken a lot of prayer. And when you started speaking out, you know, your family, right. It was very vocal about you speaking out. And how did that feel for you? So people keep talking about me losing my career or losing tens of millions of dollars, but it was nothing compared against like losing my family. I talk about the dictatorship in Turkey and the, the only human rights violations and political prisoners. I mean, I haven't seen my family almost 14 years now. You know, they put my dad in jail, they fired, they fired him. He, I think my sister went to medical school for six years and she still cannot find a job. And my little brother was getting kicked out of every team because of the same last name. So they were getting affected so much. They had to put a statement out there and said, we are disowning Enes. So that's when Turkish government didn't believe that they sent police and they raided my whole house. They took electronics away because they wanted to see if Enes is still in contact with my, with his family or not. They couldn't find no evidence. That's when they took my dad in jail for a while, but luckily. We put so much pressure here from, you know, with politicians and media to Turkey, they had to let them go. Wow. That gives me chills. And that's, that's so unfortunate because like you said, 50 million dollars means nothing at that point. Like losing your family and having your family tortured the way that they were, but that's exactly what you were speaking out against. Exactly. So in a way the Turkish government just proved your point. 100%. I mean, it's, it's, it's sad to me because right after that, right. I thought after my dad got out, I thought that they're just going to leave my family alone because I'm like, I paid a price, but then they revoked my passport. They put my name on Interpol list. And that was on your birthday, right? That's, I am now only allowed to travel to 29 countries in the world with an American passport because every other, every other, you know, country will be dangerous for me. Oh. And recently, just a few years ago, they put a bounty on my head. I was going to ask, I was actually going to ask you about that. What, tell us about that. So in, back in 2022, I went to Vatican because, so I organize these basketball camps around the world, right? And I bring Christians, Muslims, and Jewish kids together because just because of they're so brainwashed by these apps, Tik Tok and Instagram and their algorithm. I'm like, let's organize about free basketball camps. And let's bring all these kids, all these kids into the world. And we're going to play basketball, free pizza. And then after that, right. Well, let's sit down and talk about our, you know, shared values or coexistence and why is it so important to build bridges between cultures and religions. So I organized one basketball camp in Vatican. It was so, some of the nuns came and shot some basketball. It was awesome. That's amazing. And then after the basketball camp, I met with the Pope. You know, I, I sit down in his, what do you guys call it? Like a morning prayer and I listened to him. It was beautiful. We took a picture. The video is still out there actually on the, on the internet. That became pretty viral. And that's when Turkish government put a bounty on my head. I had a conversation with the FBI. They said, we want you to come to America immediately because that bounty is going to trigger lots of, um, mafias or lots of, I don't know, serial killers or whatever. Well, yeah, because like the Turkish mafia, like that's a thing. Yeah. They're pretty big. How did this bounty, how were you made aware of this bounty? They put it on the, on the internet, right? If you go on internet right now, it literally says NS Cantor bounty and blah, blah. And what were they offering? So they, they offered lots of money, lots of, lots of money. But obviously, you know, I think they do work with some of these like really bad people out there because Turkish government is a, is a NATO ally. It's a very important ally to America, but at the same time, you know, they work with many terrorist organizations out there. I mean, these are all the reports out there, right? They give passports to some like many Hamas leaders. They help Muslim brotherhood. They actually, they got caught sending truckloads of weapons to ISIS. So you go on internet, you can read all about it. Wow. Wow. And so where, clearly you have not been back to Turkey. No. I have a, I have 12 reservoirs for me, so I don't, I'm not be going there anytime soon. I'm not going there anytime soon. Today's episode is brought to you by Vented. 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We'll be there in two or three minutes. I always wanted to try and see if they're actually going to help me. And if they're actually going to show up in two or three minutes. But I mean, just think about it. See, I would have, I would have pressed that. And I was like, I was just testing you for when the time comes. Yeah. So it's, it's, it's sad because I, my whole life, I never talk about politics because human rights is above politics. You can be far right, far left, whatever you, you have to care about human rights, you know? So for that reason, that. Well, I say there's so many issues that are not left or right. There's so many issues. It's humanity and it's about loving people and doing the right thing and having morals and having values. And, you know, just being a good person could lead someone in the right direction or could change someone's life. And I feel like that's how you carry yourself. And it hasn't been easy. clearly to stand up for what's right. But you've still continued to do it. And, you know, you talked about going back to when you spoke about Nike, you know, what was, you know, Nike, they allegedly had you, what was the whole fiasco that went on with them? So Nike, let me just make it very, because they think, you know, they stand with the right things and they have morals. Listen, in America, they stand with Black Lives Matter, no Asian hate, Latino community and LGBTQ community, but everybody knows about the sweatshops. They preach us about, they pay millions of dollars to these athletes to preach us about how terrible America is. But when it comes to China, everybody knows about the slave labor and sweatshops. So that was my whole thing when I started to criticize them. And I mean, everybody knows they're like a mafia, you know? So. It was amazing, because every player is scared of China and Nike. There's two things. Which is so insane. And they asked you to take off some shoes. So. Potentially. During the NBA bubble, I don't know if you watched the NBA bubble. Yes, the NBA bubble, yes. So everybody was putting on their shoes, because it was all about social justice, they said. So everybody was, they were putting on their shoes, you know, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, I Can't Breathe, Black Revolution. Black Lives Matter. So I was just like trying to learn, right? And a few years later, I started to put Free Tibet on my shoes. Free Uyghur. Stand with Hong Kong. And obviously, that was against the Chinese Communist Party. And NBA was pressuring me to take my shoes off. So it's okay for them to put, I don't know, to criticize America. Yeah. And just put whatever you want to put on, because they know they're not going to lose money over it. Yeah. But when it comes to China. You're not allowed to speak up about it. And Nike denies this. Nike denies it. I mean, they have no morals. And it's just, it's sad to see, like, the best example I'm going to give you. Colin Kaepernick was my good friend. Wow. This guy used to send me gifts once a month. I still have his jerseys in my closet, signed by him. The day I started to criticize Nike, I never heard from him ever again. Never? Never. Because he actually helped me a lot with how I should fight with the Turkish regime and what I should do because, I mean, he was just, like, mentoring me about how I should fight against dictatorship. So he was just helping me a lot, right? As soon as I started to criticize Nike, he unfollowed me on Twitter. That's one. And two, I never heard from him ever again. You learn who your real friends are. Man. I was like, what happened? What happened to all the gifts? And I was getting it. I was getting a huge boss, because he signed with, like, Ben & Jerry's and everything. I was getting so much ice cream. And it was so awesome. You just want the free ice cream. Exactly. That's insane. But, no, all of it gone. Now, was there any one that shocked you, that stood up for you, or that at least came to you and said, "Hey, we're on your side"? I mean, not a lot, but many of my teammates. Okay. I was right before the Beijing, the Winter Olympics. So I literally reached out to everybody. I reached out to NFL players, NHL, MLB, WWE, I reached out to everybody, every athlete. Yeah. They said, "Listen, we love you, we support you, but we just cannot do it out loud." I was like, "Why?" They said, "Well, we have shoe deals, endorsement deals, we want to get another contract." And that's what's sad. I think that's what's so sad, is you would not think that that would be happening in the United States of America. In America. Yeah. I mean, you would think that you could be loud, and you could have your opinions, and you would have your freedom of speech, and that wouldn't hurt you at home. That wouldn't hurt your bank account. It was just like during the pandemic. It's like all the people that wanted to yell, "My body, my choice," were the same ones forcing you to get this vaccine. But then people are like, "Oh, well, you don't have to get it if you don't want to, but if you didn't get it, you would get fired from the job." Exactly. So, you had no other choice most of the time, other than to get it. Yeah. That's. Wow. And so, speaking of America, in 2021, you became a U.S. citizen. A U.S. citizen. Finally. And how long did that take you? So I am a legal American. You are a legal American. Became a citizen after that. You know, I didn't just jump over a border and just walk in and say, "Hey, everybody, I'm here." Right. Yeah. I mean, it's a process. Listen, first, you know, you come in with a visa, right? And then after that, you get a green card, you wait five years. If you marry an American woman, it's three years. And you didn't do that. I did not do that. No, definitely not. Dang it. You could have skipped the line. I know. But you wait five years. Then the process is you take the citizenship test, which I ask those questions. So they give you a hundred questions that you study, right? And then they ask you 10 of them. You have to get like seven of them. Right. Okay. So I was studying it with my teammates. So I was asking this question to my teammates. They probably didn't even know. We have no idea. I'm like, "Guys, you guys born here?" Yeah. Like, "What are you guys doing?" I asked one of my teammates, "What's the name of the National Anthem?" He said, "American National Anthem." I'm like, "Yeah. What is the name of it?" Stop. He's like, "The National Anthem." I'm like, "Oh, my Lord." Oh, my Lord. These people don't even know who their like senator is. How many stars we have in a flag. I was just shocked. So we were all getting educated at the same time. They were learning. That's fun. I was learning. So I took the citizenship test. I got all of them correct. And then I became a citizen and it was the most proudest moment in my life. That's amazing. I love that. And who was with you when you took the oath? It was just me. Just you? Just me. Yeah. No. I mean, it was just. It's a very interesting. Because you raise your hands, you swear, and then the judge was like, "Well, now we want to welcome you to our country. You're now a US citizen." I started thinking about all this more when I was like swearing, right? It was all the things that I've been through that not being able to see your family and haven't talked to them for a while. Your own government tells you that you're a terrorist, you're a bad guy, whatever. When the judge said that you're now a US citizen, I was like, "Oh, my God." I was like, "I'm not a US citizen." I was like, "I'm not a US citizen." That day, I actually got ruined by some of my teammates because me becoming a citizen was all over the internet. That day, I had a practice. I heard my teammates talking. They said, "Why is he so happy? Why is he so excited to become part of this country? America is trash. America is trash. America is horrible." I walked in. I walked in. Try going to another country. This is exactly what I said. I was like, "Listen, guys. Our season is about to be over. And whenever our season is over, I promise I'm going to buy your first class ticket. Let's go to some of these countries out there. Let's go to Iran. Let's go to Russia. China. North Korea. Turkey. Venezuela. Cuba. Forget about calling those governments a trash. You criticize those regimes, you and your family members will be tortured to death. I'm not saying America is perfect because we have a lot of work to do as well here. But when someone harshly criticize America, burns flags, or calls it a trash, I'm like, I know for a fact that you don't travel enough. I know for a fact that you don't travel enough. So. Yeah. And what would you say, what does being an American mean to you now? You know, I look at it two way. I look at it one way. I see all these Americans, especially the younger generation, takes their freedom from the American system. Yeah. I see all these Americans, especially the younger generation, takes their freedom for granted. Yeah. Takes America for granted. They have no idea what it's like to live on the other side. Especially like when it comes to like females, women. I was just about to say, when it comes to women. Try to live on the other side. Go to Iran. Go to Iran. Please go to Iran. Please go to Iran. And you'll see what happens. It just, that's what I'm saying. All these kids right now getting their information from TikTok, Instagram. And TikTok has been run by China. So whatever their algorithm is, that's what they're going to believe. And I know, so they have like this bot farms in Africa. Many countries, many dictatorships, right? So they just boost all these anti-American and anti-God, you know, contents on these apps. And then that's what the youth believe. I think, I don't think we're reading enough, you know, just read everything. but we just need to educate ourselves a little better. - Wow, and now your life is filled with, you know, you've moved on from the NBA and you've been advocating for so many different things. Recently, you have found yourself in the news with the WNBA. You have officially declared for the WNBA draft. Um, and I was not aware that you were a woman. So can we explain that? Of course. So how did that come about? It was back in May, the month of May. What would you do if you won big at Crown Coins Casino? Real people win real prizes every single day. Hi, this is Michael from Dallas and I won 40K and finally renovated my home. Visit crowncoins.com, sign up in seconds, enter code CROWN and get a free Lucky Wheel bonus. crowncoins.com, that's C-R-O-W-N, coins.com, no purchase needed. 18 plus terms and conditions apply. Crown Coins Casino. Um, I watched the WN because I'm actually a huge fan of the game. I watched one of these games and right after the game, I was watching the interviews. One of the players, Gabby Williams, she's actually a really good player. She came out. And she said, I have no problem with trans athletes playing in my team or against my team. I rewind it. I was like, did I hear this right? So I rewind the video. I watched it again. I'm like, I cannot believe she just said that. And that's, that's what's so infuriating to me because those exact same women are the ones speaking out, saying that women are, don't have a seat at the table. That women, you know, men are taking, you know, CEO positions or those are the same women that are griping about that. But yet you're giving up a seat at the table in women's sports to a biological man. So I was like, you know, they got 15 teams and 217 players. I guess that's just one of them. So, and then the week goes on, right? And then other players and the coaches, like the, for example, the coach of Minnesota, they just started to come out and say, oh, we have no problem trans athletes. Trans athletes playing in our team or against our team. I'm like, perfect. So one morning I woke up, I decided to identify as a woman and I made this whole video and said, well, from now on, I identify as a woman and I will be getting ready for the 2027 WNBA draft. The reason I said 2027 WNBA draft is because it's in April. So I wanted to give them some time to think about what they're actually doing or thinking. Right after that comments, the commissioner of the WNBA, Kathy Engelbert, and the task force said, we are about to hold a meeting to find out what is a woman. I'm like, I cannot believe they have to hold a meeting. You have to hold a meeting to figure out what a woman is. And did they release their findings? So they came out of the meeting. I'm like, sure, I guess they're going to decide what is a woman. So they came out of the meeting and they said, we need weeks. Or maybe months to figure it out what is a woman. I turned around to my manager. I was like, I'm going to do something so crazy that she's going to step down in two weeks. I did what I have to do. I don't want to, you know, say it out loud, but she stepped down in one week. Think about this. All she had to do, just define what is a woman. Just define what a woman is. Instead, she was making really good money. She decided to step down. She decided to step down from one of the biggest women's organization sports in America. So I'm like, wow, this is just crazy. But again, what people will do for money. I would love to know what the WNBA paid her to not define what a woman was. What they paid her to walk away and stay silent. So at that point, I'm like, I cannot believe she stepped down. And now after. After December 31st, she's gone. Wow. So I'm like, this is very serious. Wow. And so you recently had gone to a game. I did. It was very fun. And you actually got kicked out of the game. And I remember seeing it all over social media and there was so much uproar. What happened? So I paid, first of all, I paid thousands of dollars for those tickets, which is usually like, what, $50, $60? But like five years ago, they used to like pay fans to come to bring them to the game. But like, anyway, so, and then Caitlin Clark happened. We can get to that later. Yeah. Caitlin Clark. And then was, who is, I love the girl. Is it Sophie Cunningham? Sophie Cunningham. Yep. She is gorgeous. Yep. And I feel like she is one of those people. Like, I don't watch the WNBA. Okay. I'm not really like that demographic. Now, all my lesbian best friends, like, love the WNBA. I'm like, good for you. You can watch the WNBA. Go watch that. They tell me about it all the time. And, but I just saw Sophie. So I was like, she is gorgeous. And I feel like, I don't want to speak for her. I don't know her, but she's stuck in that really hard place right now of wanting to be a great basketball player, but feeling like the world around her is caving in because everyone, I feel like is teaming up on her and no one's defending her. So she's a friend. She's an amazing person. Amazing. Good heart. Pure heart. So I went to their game, right? And towards the end of the third quarter, they, the coach put Sophie Kahn and him in. So she shot the ball. I literally put my hands up in the air to celebrate it. So another player, Natasha Cloud, which was playing for Chicago Sky, saw that. When she was coming back, she started to scream at me and said, she's not going to sleep with you. I'm like, did she? Did she really say that? The next position, I simply said, I'm not trying to sleep with anyone. I'm just here to protect woman. And then she got mad. She started to bark at me. She was dropping a lot of F-bombs. The thing is, she is an amazing player, actually, on the court. Like she is loved by the Chicago fans. And there are so many, like, there are too many, like, young kids, girls was coming to For her to be acting that way. And she was dropping F-bombs. I played 11 years in the NBA. I know the rules of, you know, fans. As a fan, you're not allowed to touch a player or you're not allowed to cross baseline or the sideline. So I did not break any rules. The security came. They said, you got to go. I'm like, excuse me? It's like, you got to go. You got to go. So they literally, they didn't drag me because I'm like 275 pounds. Yeah, they're not dragging you at seven foot, almost 300 pounds. I'm like, don't, first of all, don't touch me. Yeah. I can just, you know, I can find my way out. But they kicked me out of the game. Um, after the game, Sophie messaged me. I'm like, she's like, what happened? I was like, well, that's exactly what happened. The thing. So I had a conversation with her. We even said, we are not anti-trans. We are just pro-woman. Yeah. She said something so beautiful. She said, this is not a right or left issue. This is the matter of common sense and morality. And just because of that, right now, they're trying to blackball her. All these media. Wow. I'm sure you have seen. I've seen the New York Times article and now they're asking for Indiana Fever's or any team out there to not to sign her again because of what, and she didn't commit a crime. All she said. I would be suing that. I would be suing that news outlet. A hundred percent. She said, all she said was men should stay out of women's sports. But that is the truth. Like I sit here and think of when I go to have a daughter, do I want her in a locker room with a biological man? Oh my God. No, this is a conversation that I'm having with NBA players right now. I was like, listen, because many of them called me like, what's going on? I asked him this question. You have a daughter, right? I asked him, like, you have a daughter. Would you be okay with your daughter taking a shower in the same room with a male? Their answer is no. They said F no. They said publicly, they're going to tell as if it's publicly, they're going to tell as if it's okay. They said, would you be okay with your daughter? Would you be okay with your daughter sharing the same locker room or being in the same bathroom with what they said? No way. I will wait outside to punch him in the face. So think about this according to their rule. So, you know, they think this is just about the WNBA, it's not. So think about if they ever select me, right, I'm going to be able to be in the, in the same shower with all these naked WNBA players. So think about all these women, all these players are advocating for me to play in the WNBA. But then they're going to be uncomfortable because. Why? Why would they be uncomfortable? Because, because according to their rule, right, I'm a trans now. I'm going to be able to take a shower with them. I'm going to use the same bathroom. I'm going to be, they're not going to have a man's locker room in WNBA. No. So I'm going to be getting naked or also they're going to be getting naked in front of me. And then they're going to see how uncomfortable it is. Then they're going to see how uncomfortable it is. Well, I said that same thing. I actually went through this in a different. Kind of area. Obviously, both my parents went to prison. But in that process, there's men's prisons and women's prisons. Yeah. And there were over at one point, there was like over 500 trans awaiting placement in facilities. And they were men, you know, that had identified as a woman. And because they identified as a woman, they could go to a women's facility. Over half of those men were convicted. of sex crimes. - Oh, wow. So you think to yourself, so now they're going to be put with biological women just for them to continue to abuse even further. Wow. And it was definitely a fight that I had. And luckily, when the new director came in that the president appointed, he was like, not under my watch, like it's not happening. But unfortunately, the Supreme Court had ruled that he couldn't move them. So he started putting them by themselves because he's like, I'm not going to have this happen to where they're harmed. But it's just, it's unfortunate that we live in a time to where a man can't be identified or a woman can't be identified. So I want to see, I would definitely like to see how they feel then. I mean, I wouldn't mind being the same. So when will we know? When will we know? I wouldn't mind for sure. Just saying. You wouldn't mind, right? I wouldn't mind. I have nothing to be shame of. I have nothing to hide. I'm not shy about my body. So I'm okay with it if they're okay with it. Oh, I'm done. I love you. I'm seven foot, 275, have the most beautiful body. So I'm not, I don't mind at all. You're a good looking guy, you know? That is amazing. When will we know if you're going, we're going to see you at the WNBA draft? We asked them to come up with, like, come up and are we eligible or not? They haven't get back to us yet. So the draft is in April, 2027. So I guess we will wait till. Uh, then and see if they're going to change in rule. See, see the commission is stepping down. The new commission is going to take the job, which we don't know who is. What would you do if you want big at crown coins casino? Hi, this is Chelsea from Dallas. I just hit the jackpot. One over 1,000,500 K visit crown coins.com. You may want to. The thing is, we're not asking for anything, anything crazy. I say, I'm not a difficult person to deal with because people, not a media just, and now putting me out there as like, Oh, and it's a psychopath. And this is the enemy. And this is a extremist and blah, blah. Now, all I'm asking is from them, right? Add the word biological. Next to the word female in your collective bargaining, I will disappear. You will not hear from me ever again, but they don't do it because you know, at that point it was nothing. It was about nothing other than you implementing positive change. I'm going to, I promise you, I'm going to start thinking like the reason they don't want to add with the word biological, maybe there are already some biological male or plane in the WMB right now. I don't want to accuse someone with anything, which I could very easily and it will go pretty viral and I don't want to drop any names, which is pretty clear who, um, anyway, but like, I feel like the only reason they don't want to add the word biological is because then they have to make a discovery, right? And then we'll, and they have to figure it out who is actually already a biological male playing in women's sports. So I'm just saying, I don't want to accuse someone with anything, which I could very easily and it will go pretty viral and I don't want to drop any names, which is pretty clear who, um, anyway, but like, I feel like the only reason they don't want to add the word biological is because then they have to make a discovery, right? that just be a bomb to drop oh my god it's huge the biggest bomb because those those women or Whoever that is, we all know who, is an all-star breaking records and dunking every ball out there. So, if they ever come out and say, well, hey, the world, sorry, that person was a biological male and blah, blah. It will just. It will be a mess. Yes. So, that's the only thing. And a lot of people are asking me like, well, what about if they don't change the rules? The thing is, I'm a very nice guy. And I know that they're losing around $50 million every year. I don't want to sue them because they're already losing a lot of money. You will, though. The thing is, I will win, but I don't want to sue them because I actually want the women sports to thrive and just be very successful. You want them to thrive. You want women to get paid what they deserve. A hundred percent. You, you're not looking to completely dismantle an organization, but it's also not worth you condoning an organization that your future children may have to put up with later. A hundred percent. Also, like they have no idea what they're playing at. I have already spoken with three European players, two former NBA players, and three G League players. And they all said that if they don't change the rules, we're going to put our name in a WNBA draft. So think about this, like a regular G League players makes around $45,000 a year. When you look at the WNBA, someone like AJ, right? Or Caitlin, they're making $1.6 to $2 million a year. So all they have to do, identify as a woman, and then boom, they'll be making what point $1.5 million more what they're making right now. Yeah. So like they have no idea. They have no idea what kind of gate that they're about to open. It's about to be. At that point, like, why do we have a woman's league then? Let's just merge the WNBA and NBA. Let's just have one league. Let's get rid of the woman's league, right? And then they won't be losing any money. Wow. I just have to say, I love what you're doing. And I love, you have just such a likable human element to you. To where. Even if, and the way that you articulate your views and how you feel, it would be very, someone could disagree with you and you're, that's fine. I feel like you're very respectful in how you communicate. And I think that goes a long way. I made it clear from day one. I was like, listen, you know, I'm not here to make fun of or mock any personal decisions or any group because, I mean, it's America and you have a freedom to do whatever you want, right? But, I mean, why are they like now, you know, hating on me? I mean, people wake up every day and they identify as unicorns and Pokemon and dogs and cats. Yeah. So, who are you to judge? Yeah. Who are you to judge and tell whose journey is real or not? If I identify as a woman, I have every right to do so, right? And then according to their rules, I should be allowed to play. And I am going to play and I'm prepared to play. Well, I am super. Super excited to see that WNBA. We're waiting. We're waiting on an answer. We're waiting to see. Are we going to see him in the WNBA draft? So, you guys, you can find this podcast wherever you listen to your podcast. You can watch it on YouTube, listen on Spotify, Apple, wherever it may be that you can find us. So, thank you so much. Thank you for having me. 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