Former NBA Player Enes Kanter Freedom Ejected from WNBA Game After Heated Confrontation with Sky’s Natasha Cloud

Enes Kanter Freedom, the former NBA player who said he wants to play in the WNBA, was tossed from the Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky game on Sunday, Aug. 23 after he verbally antagonized Sky star Natasha Cloud.

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Enes Kanter Freedom was escorted out of a WNBA game after a heated exchange with Natasha Cloud

Kanter Freedom claimed he was removed for supporting women and mocked the booing crowd

The incident follows his recent announcement about wanting to play in the WNBA amid debates on transgender athletes in sports

Enes Kanter Freedom, the former NBA player who said he wants to play in the WNBA, was tossed from the Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky game on Sunday, Aug. 23 after a heated exchange with Sky star Natasha Cloud.

During the third quarter of Sunday’s game in Chicago, Kanter Freedom, 34, was seen yelling at the Sky guard after she began interacting with him.

As Cloud, 34, pointed at Kanter Freedom and advanced toward him along the baseline, she had to be restrained by teammates.

Wearing a shirt that read, “WOMAN noun adult human female,” the former NBA journeyman was escorted by security away from his courtside seat. On his way out of Wintrust Arena, Kanter Freedom engaged with a booing crowd and mocked Cloud with a “talking hands” gesture.

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“I’m supporting women, and that is the reason they’re kicking me out,” Kanter Freedom told a group of arena officials and law enforcement officers in the Wintrust Arena lobby, according to The Athletic. “It’s unacceptable.”

Earlier this month, the self-described “human rights activist” announced his desire to play in the WNBA, a declaration that came amid an ongoing debate about transgender athletes in women’s sports.

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After the game — a 113-90 Fever win — Sky coach Tyler Marsh said he had to reassure Cloud that her response toward the provocateur wasn’t a distraction.

“I told her she wasn’t,” Marsh said. “I told her that we all embrace her as someone that protects our team and protects people that need to be protected. So, Tash is always going to stand on that, and we stand for Tash.”

He added, “There’s so much good things about this league and so many good things about the play of these players. And if you come to a game, you should probably come to enjoy the basketball. That seems pretty simple to me. I think these players deserve that and have earned that.”

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Before the in-game disruption, Fever guard Sophie Cunningham addressed the ongoing distractions that have plagued the team this season.

“Personally, I rely a lot on my faith,” said Cunningham, 30, who has been at the center of controversy following anti-transgender comments made in a July interview with ESPN. “I rely a lot on my inner circle. It keeps me grounded. I’ve been at peace this whole time. I stay true to myself, and I’m proud of who I am and how I was raised.”

She added, “As our team as a whole, we just take care of each other. There’s so much speculation outside of our locker room and people are trying to like, I don’t even know what’s going on. But we’re like, ‘Hey, we’re all cool.’”

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