Kevin Durant believes outside discourse involving the WNBA in recent months shouldn't detract from the growth experienced by the league and its players over the last year.
"All that stuff is noise, man. The WNBA is flourishing," the Houston Rockets star told reporters Tuesday at media day. "Look what these women are doing. Look at the money they've made over the last few years. Look at the visibility of their league. And you got four or five signature athletes that are representing major brands. These women have brands for themselves. They're businesswomen for themselves outside of the game."
The WNBA is in the closing stretch of the first regular season under its new collective bargaining agreement, which increased the team salary cap from $1.5 million to $7.5 million and raised maximum salaries for players from approximately $249,000 to $1.4 million. The league expects the upper limit for the players' annual pay to climb to $2.4 million by 2032.
However, the league's rising popularity has also brought external antagonists.
Enes Kanter Freedom, Durant's former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate, was kicked out of Wintrust Arena on Aug. 23 after being confronted by Chicago Sky veteran Natasha Cloud while sitting courtside. The organization subsequently banned him from attending future events at the venue.
Kanter, who was wearing a shirt that read "WOMAN, noun. Adult human female," said he was acting in support of comments made by Indiana Fever wing Sophie Cunningham to keep transgender athletes out of women's sports.
Immediately following Cunningham's comments, Fever road games began to draw opposing protests outdoors, and portions of fans in attendance heavily booed the veteran when she touched the ball.
"A lot of that stuff - the politics that they bring into sports nowadays - I understand the messaging behind what they're trying to do," Durant added. "But (a) person like me who just strictly cares for the purity of the sport, I do not give a f--- about none of that.
"I care about them flourishing and pushing the league forward, and that's what's happening right now."
The added attention on the WNBA has also translated into record viewership. The Fever's Aug. 16 win over the Atlanta Dream was the league's most-watched game ever, averaging 2.6 million viewers. This season's All-Star Game averaged 3.2 million viewers, the second-highest number ever recorded for the event.
