Stephen A. Smith has come out in support of Enes Kanter Freedom‘s ridiculing of the trans athlete debate.

On Friday, Freedom announced via X that he would be declaring himself for the WNBA Draft in April 2027 after him and his team claim to have found a loophole in the eligibility criteria.

“My team and I have carefully examined the WNBA’s eligibility criteria and governing framework surrounding self-identification and inclusion. Based on the current guidelines, I can and am officially declaring my eligibility for the upcoming WNBA Draft in April 2027.

“I know my presence on the court will stir up strong opinions. I am definitely not here to mock, make fun of, or disrespect any community or personal choices. I’m simply asking that the current rules be applied equally to everyone — the rules that represent the very values many WNBA players and coaches have publicly advocated for.

The day after, ESPN host Smith concurred with Freedom’s method of undermining the WNBA and, in a lengthy rant, argued his point from the perspective of fair competition.

Stephen A. Smith’s Rant Agreeing With Freedom

“You see how much of a mess this is becoming, right? And everybody wants to act like, oh my goodness, we don’t want to hate on trans, we don’t want to hate on trans. Folks, that’s not what this is about.

“Anybody who’s hating on them should be ashamed of themselves. The WNBA, and everybody else in between, is absolutely right when they talk about not violating people’s civil rights and liberties, not being hateful, not engaging in hate in any way, shape, form, or fashion, whether verbally, physically, or otherwise. We all know that.

“What’s the problem? We gotta have common sense. And yes, Enes Kanter is going a bit too far, but he’s right to make a point.”

For now, the debate among the NBA community will rage on, with both sides remaining as entrenched and impassioned as ever.

Jeff Bezos is on the brink of becoming Liverpool‘s co-owner as a consortium are close to buying a stake in the Premier League club.

The Amazon founder and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin are part of the investment group fronted by former Queens Park Rangers shareholder Amit Bhatia. A proposed deal will see them purchase around a 30–33% stake in the Merseyside outfit for around £1.35 billion.

While it is not a full takeover, it is still a significant development as Fenway Sports Group (FSG) look to bring in more co-investors to help with strategic backing and long-term finances. Here’s a look at what Bezos’ investment could mean for the most decorated English football club.

Bezos Investment Helps Liverpool Grow Globally

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The third-richest person in the world will be investing in Liverpool if a deal is completed, as Bezos sits behind only Elon Musk and Larry Page on Forbes’ rich list. He is thought to be worth $280.6 billion (£207.505bn) and he’ll become the club’s co-owner alongside Saverin with a stake of more than 30%.

It’s becoming the norm for the richest investors in the world to explore investing in top football clubs like the Anfield giants. This will be Bezos’ first involvement in the sport as he has previously explored bids for NFL teams.

Bezos’ wealth will boost the club’s financial resources, which includes the transfer market, work on their stadium and global expansion. FSG will remain the controlling shareholder, but speculation is pointing towards an eventual full takeover.

FSG have owned Liverpool since 2010 after buying the club for £300 million and, 16 years on, Forbes values the Merseysiders at around £4.6 billion. It is why Bezos’ investment makes this one of the biggest deals in football history.

It’s not just domestically where the proposed deal will have an impact, as the Reds’ global reach will increase due to the backing of some of the wealthiest investors in the world. They are likely to have more opportunities in the United States and Asia, helping their brand grow.

More Big-Money Signings And Trophy Success

Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs

A new era started at the start of the summer when Andoni Iraola replaced Arne Slot as first-team manager. Mohamed Salah also ended a legendary nine-year spell with the club and thus the fresh investment will help build a team to compete under the newly-appointed Spaniard.

A deal for Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola is expected to cost over £100 million and this could easily be achieved with such financial backing. Perhaps that’s why there has been a lack of heavy transfer activity as FSG wait to announce Bezos and Saverin’s arrivals.

REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq

Bezos and Saverin’s capital injections give FSG the financial strength to target squad development, contract renewals and focus on long-term football operations. It rules out the need to rely on debt financing and instead ensures the club are economically secure.

The long term is something Bezos emphasizes when reflecting on Amazon’s growth since being founded back in 1994. He wrote to shareholders back in 2018 ‘It’s all about the long-term’ and those comments are fitting to describe his motives behind investing in the English football club.

Barcelona are preparing another bid to get closer to Manchester City’s £75million valuation of Spanish midfielder Rodri, GIVEMESPORT understands.

The Spanish giants had already bid £50million for Rodri, which was rejected by Manchester City, who will not stand in the player’s way should the two clubs reach a suitable fee in negotiations.

Barcelona are confident of agreeing a deal, as they have already agreed personal terms with Rodri, who wants to make the move, and he has declared Barcelona his favoured destination despite interest from Real Madrid.

Barcelona have already agreed terms with the Man City star

REUTERS/Daniel Becerril via Action Images

Despite their initial bid being knocked back, the Cataluyna side are optimistic in club-to-club negotiations, and they are prepared to bid higher than their opening offer to secure the Ballon d’Or winner’s signature and bring him to the Nou Camp.

Barcelona feel that the deal is progressing well, and with the side potentially having more money coming in, partly due to Ronald Araujo’s loan departure to Liverpool, a second offer to Manchester City could be the one that gets the deal done.

Barcelona to get closer to Man City valuation of Rodri

Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff

Speaking in his GMS newsletter, senior football correspondent Ben Jacobs said: “Manchester City would like about €75million for Rodri, but Barcelona are prepared to go higher than €50million and narrow that gulf in valuation, and they are looking to close this deal for Rodri in the coming days.

“From Barca’s perspective, they are really optimistic, not just on the player side, which is already done verbally, but club-to-club as well, so Rodri to Barcelona is progressing.”

Rodri has made 298 appearances for Manchester City since joining the side from Atlético Madrid in 2019. His time in Manchester has been a complete success, winning four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, three Carabao Cups, as well as winning the Club World Cup and Champions League.

His time at the club also saw him win the Ballon d’Or in 2024 and become one of the greatest defensive midfielders of his generation. He most recently won the World Cup this summer with Spain, and he looks set to be on his way back to his home country; his time in Manchester is up, leaving at the same time as manager Pep Guardiola has, as Enzo Maresca has taken the reins at the Etihad Stadium.