Enes Kanter Freedom Ejected From WNBA Game After Clash With Natasha Cloud

CHICAGO —

Former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom was ejected from Sunday night's WNBA game between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky after a heated exchange with Sky guard Natasha Cloud, according to ESPN, the BBC, Al Jazeera and Guardian Sport.

Kanter Freedom, 34, was sitting courtside in a black T-shirt reading "WOMAN noun. Adult human female." Late in the third quarter, after Cloud scored and celebrated with a teammate, she turned and walked toward him, pointing and shouting, ESPN reported. Kanter Freedom stood, held his arms out and stepped toward the court before security and several Sky players moved between them. He was escorted out of Wintrust Arena as he held out his shirt for the crowd, according to the Guardian.

A Confrontation During A Timeout

Speaking on Fox News afterward, Kanter Freedom said Cloud told him "she's not gonna sleep with you" after he celebrated a three-pointer by Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, according to Yahoo Sports. He said he responded that he was "just here to protect women." Cloud met with team and league security after the game but did not speak with reporters, ESPN reported. She later wrote on Threads that transgender people "will always be protected by me," per the BBC.

Kanter Freedom told police officers outside the arena, "This is unacceptable," according to ESPN, and later posted on X: "I just got kicked out of a @WNBA game for supporting WOMEN! Let that sink in, AMERICA!"

Sky coach Tyler Marsh defended Cloud afterward. "I told her that we all embrace her as someone that protects our team and protects people that need to be protected," he said, according to ESPN. He added that fans should come to games "to enjoy the basketball." Fever star Caitlin Clark, who scored 37 points in Indiana's 113-90 win, said she did not see the incident because her team had already huddled for the timeout, the Guardian reported.

Political Reactions And League Context

Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith weighed in on X, calling the episode "woman-on-woman violence" and describing Kanter Freedom as a "future WNBA first-round pick," according to Yahoo Sports.

Kanter Freedom has said he identifies as a woman and declared himself eligible for the WNBA draft, as has fellow former NBA player Royce White, according to Al Jazeera. The league's collective bargaining agreement, signed in March, states that "only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA" but does not define the term further, the BBC reported. No known transgender woman has played in the league.

The episode followed weeks of public debate sparked by Cunningham's comments questioning transgender eligibility in women's sports. Cunningham said Sunday that the controversy has not divided the Fever's locker room. "We're all cool," she said, according to ESPN.