President Donald Trump brought an unusual “pardon” promise to his Oklahoma rally Thursday night — telling former NBA players Dennis Rodman and Enes Kanter Freedom they could enter women’s sports and shatter the record books.
With both basketball veterans in attendance in Durant, Trump praised their abilities before offering what he described as an exemption to compete against women, according to Mediaite.
“I’m giving them a full pardon that they can go into women’s sports anytime they want,” Trump said.
The president then predicted that age would hardly slow them down.
“They will break every record in the history of women’s sports,” he said, according to Mediaite’s account of the rally.
The comments brought presidential attention to Freedom’s ongoing campaign against allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports. But Trump’s promise should not be confused with confirmation that either former NBA player has been cleared to join the WNBA.
ESPN reported in August, citing multiple sources, that Freedom would not be eligible to play in the league.
Freedom’s WNBA Challenge
Freedom has turned a proposed basketball comeback into a political challenge.
The former NBA center announced plans to enter the 2027 WNBA draft, positioning the effort as part of his opposition to the participation of transgender athletes in women’s competition.
During an August appearance on Lara Trump’s Fox News program, Freedom said he was ready to return to the court.
“I love the game; I’m prepared to play,” he said, according to Deseret News.
ESPN subsequently reported that Freedom and former NBA player Royce White were ineligible, with no anticipated changes to the league’s rules in the near future. Deseret News also noted that ESPN reported there were no known transgender players in the WNBA.
Freedom’s campaign has already produced a confrontation at a league game. On Aug. 23, he was escorted out of a Chicago Sky–Indiana Fever matchup following an exchange with Sky guard Natasha Cloud.
He attended wearing a shirt defining a woman as an adult human female, Deseret News reported.
Rodman Gets a Presidential Shoutout
Rodman’s appearance gave Trump another familiar basketball figure to recognize.
“You’re a five-time NBA champion, Dennis. Man oh man, that’s good,” the president said, according to Mediaite.
Unlike Freedom, Rodman has not publicly expressed interest in joining the WNBA, the outlet reported.
Trump also mixed up one detail of Rodman’s basketball background, identifying his college as Oklahoma State University.
Rodman actually played at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, where he became a three-time All-American. The university’s athletics department credits him with finishing his college career as its all-time rebounding leader and third-leading scorer.
A Familiar Trump Priority
The rally exchange touched on an issue Trump has made a prominent part of his administration’s agenda.
In February 2025, he signed an executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.” It directed federal agencies to enforce his administration’s interpretation of Title IX and oppose the participation of transgender women and girls in female athletic competition at federally funded educational institutions.
Thursday’s remarks took that policy fight into a different arena: a prediction that two former NBA players could dominate women’s basketball.
