On August 23, NBA veteran Enes Kanter Freedom attended the Chicago Sky vs. Indiana Fever game, got into an altercation with Sky star Natasha Cloud, and was eventually ejected from Wintrust Arena. Then the franchise owner called the former NBA center a “threat” and issued a ban. And now Freedom has taken legal steps, ‘exercising his first amendment right.’
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“🚨SEE YOU IN COURT!!! Just filed a federal complaint. I’m taking legal action over my ejection from the @chicagosky game while peacefully exercising my First Amendment rights. My T-shirt did what the whole @WNBA apparently couldn’t: define a woman. No threats. No violence. Just biology. And somehow, that required a security escort. You don’t have to agree with my speech but you don’t get to silence me for it. I will not be intimidated. I will not be silenced. I will continue to stand for women and defend free speech.”
Along with the caption, Freedom also posted the first page from his fifteen-page legal document.
“Plaintiff Enes Kanter Freedom believes deeply and advocates forcefully that the integrity of women-only sports must be protected, and he has been explicit in many public appearances on this point. Plaintiff Freedom has self-identified as a player who is eligible to play in the WNBA because such declaration is all that is required by WNBA’s rules and the related Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and the player’s association.”
It all began when Enes Kanter Freedom and former NBA player Royce White declared for the 2027 WNBA Draft on August 7. They claimed to be women and questioned the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, which states that only women can participate in WNBA games but fails to clarify what “women” means.
Then, on August 12, the WNBA held a committee to discuss the transgender issue in good faith. However, it clarified that no policy change was needed.
So, Enes Kanter Freedom was courtside for the game in Chicago, and his message was loud and clear. The former NBA star wore a black t-shirt that read “Woman: Adult human female” with the words “woman” and “female” highlighted in red. During the game, he got into an altercation with Cloud, which resulted in his ban.
Reportedly, Enes Kanter Freedom took multiple steps directly onto the playing court toward Cloud. So, the security and other Sky players got involved to separate the two and made sure there was no physical altercation.
Videos emerged when Freedom was ejected, and in one, he was heard arguing with security.
“I’m supporting women; that is the reason they’re kicking me out. This is unacceptable.”
Plus, the former NBA star, who has been vocal on social media, aired his problems.
“I just got kicked out of a @WNBA game for supporting WOMEN! Let that sink in, AMERICA!”
Natasha Cloud did not speak to the media after the game, but on her social media offered support to the transgender community.
“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,” she posted on threads.
A few days after the altercation, Sky’s owner, Michael Alter, banned Enes Kanter Freedom.
“He has demonstrated to us, unequivocally, that he has the potential to be a threat.”
While talking to the media, Alter also stated that Kanter will not be allowed back into the arena “unless sometime in the future, he’s able to prove to us that he’s able to abide by our rules without being a potential threat.”
This legal case from Enes Kanter Freedom was expected. Previously, he filed a six-page public records request with the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority. And now the complaint over his ejection and subsequent ban from Wintrust Arena.