Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom was ejected from his courtside seat during Sunday's WNBA matchup between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever after getting into a verbal altercation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud.
Late in the third quarter, Cloud drove to the basket and converted a tough finish that drew a timeout from Fever coach Stephanie White. As players from both teams went to their respective benches, Cloud began pointing and yelling at Kanter Freedom, who stood up and walked toward the court. An official and security personnel immediately jumped in, and Cloud's teammates arrived to pull her away from the situation.
The official gestured for Kanter Freedom to be ejected and both team and arena security escorted him away from his seat. He tried to protest in an area behind the courtside seating for a short period before eventually leaving to a chorus of boos and middle fingers. Natasha Cloud did not speak with the media after Sunday's game, but she did meet with team and league security.
Chicago Sky coach Tyler Marsh defended Cloud, saying she didn't want to be a distraction and that the team stands with her. "I told her she wasn't," Marsh said in his post-game press conference. "I told her we all embrace her as someone who protects our team and people who need to be protected. Tash is always gonna stand on that and we stand for Tash."
This is not the first time that Cloud and Kanter Freedom have crossed paths. In 2023, the two went back and forth on social media after Cloud criticized the United States government. The WNBA has become a battleground for the debate about transgender athletes over the last month, with Fever guard Sophie Cunningham sparking controversy with comments about protecting young girls in a locker room.
Fever star Caitlin Clark said she did not see the incident, and both she and Lexie Hull shook their heads no when asked if Kanter Freedom had said anything to them during the game. Fever coach Stephanie White urged people to not give the incident "any gas" and called it a social media thing.
The WNBA has never had a transgender player and does not have a public policy about transgender participation. The new collective bargaining agreement states simply that, "only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA." The WNBA has convened a task force to discuss the issue, but there is no immediate eligibility matter affecting the league.
Enes Kanter Freedom has claimed that he now identifies as a woman and has been agitating to be eligible for the 2027 WNBA Draft, along with fellow former NBA player Royce White. The WNBA has made a statement denouncing "bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others," but the issue remains contentious.
Source: CBS