Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom was ejected from a WNBA game Sunday after a verbal altercation with Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud during the third quarter of the Sky's home loss to the Indiana Fever.
According to Al Jazeera, Kanter Freedom was sitting courtside when Cloud began pointing and yelling at him at the start of an Indiana timeout. He stood up and took a few steps toward the court with his arms outstretched. A game official and security personnel moved between them, and Cloud's teammates pulled her away. The official then gestured for Kanter Freedom to be ejected, and arena security escorted him from his seat.
Kanter Freedom, 34, was wearing a black T-shirt that read: "WOMAN noun. Adult human female."
Cloud, also 34, did not speak to the media after the game but posted a statement on social media. "To every trans kid/person, You are a part of MY community & tribe. You belong. You're loved. You're seen. You're perfect as you are. & you will always be protected by me," Cloud wrote.
Kanter Freedom spoke to police officers before leaving Wintrust Arena and later posted on his X account, "I just got kicked out of a @WNBA game for supporting WOMEN! Let that sink in, America."
Sky head coach Tyler Marsh addressed the incident at his postgame news conference. He said Cloud did not want to be a distraction and that he told her she was not one. "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," Marsh said.
Marsh also directed comments toward spectators. "There's so many good things about this league and so many good things about the play of these players, that if you come to a game, you should probably come to enjoy the basketball," he said. "That seems pretty simple to me. I think these players deserve that and have earned that. Being a former basketball player, you should probably understand and feel that, too."
Kanter Freedom played center in the NBA for 11 years across five teams from 2011-12 to 2021-22, averaging 11.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game over 748 regular-season appearances. Since retiring, he has become a prominent voice on social issues, including the debate over transgender athletes in women's sports.
The WNBA has never had a known transgender player but has been drawn into the broader national debate on the issue. Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham drew attention last month when she said in an ESPN profile that "girls should never have to compete with biological men." Cunningham later said on July 22 that she does not "dislike anyone" and that there is "room to love everyone."
