The Chicago Sky has issued an indefinite ban against former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom following his ejection from Wintrust Arena during Sunday’s game against the Indiana Fever. Immediately after, Kanter went on Fox News to address the ejection. Among many things, he claimed on national television that Sky leadership welcomed his presence. Now team sources and owner Michael Alter have pushed back, clarifying General Manager Jeff Pagliocca’s actual involvement.
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The ban comes after a courtside confrontation with Sky point guard Natasha Cloud led security personnel to remove the former athlete over safety concerns. Team sources proceeded to tell media outlets, “GM Jeff Pagliocca did not invite Enes Kanter to the game, nor did he speak with him at or after the game.”
During an appearance on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, Kanter Freedom defended his presence at the WNBA game. He alleged that the organization was fully aware of his plans, disputing the team’s account of his ejection:
“So they’re lying. Why? Because the GM of the Chicago Sky actually was my trainer and I actually trained with him. Before the game we actually texted him and said ‘hey, we are going to come to the game, we want peace, nothing controversial, we just want to come, sit down, watch the game and enjoy the game.’ He even messaged us and said, ‘just enjoy the game.’ I said perfect. So they knew I was coming to the game and everything they said was a lie.”
However, Sky owner Michael Alter firmly denied Kanter Freedom’s timeline, explaining that the former player’s manager sent an unsolicited heads-up text to Pagliocca, who had not been in contact with Kanter at least since 2019, just hours before tip-off.
“Jeff, this is Hank (this is Enes’ manager). I’ve got a new number. You’ve always been fair to me so I figured you deserved a heads up in advance. Enes and I will be at the Sky game tonight. Hope you are well,” Alter said.
Per team source: GM Jeff Pagliocca did not invite Enes Kanter to the game, nor did he speak with him at or after the game.
Pagliocca simply replied, “Appreciate the text,” rather than inviting or welcoming him.
“A lot of information is out there — a lot of it coming from Kanter Freedom — about what’s occurred,” Alter said. “Most of it is either outright lies or misleading information.”
The anonymous team source corroborated that Pagliocca did not invite Kanter to the game, nor did he speak with him during or after the contest.
Tensions flared during the third quarter of Sunday’s matchup when Kanter arrived, wearing a T-shirt that read “WOMAN noun. adult human female” and engaged in a back-and-forth verbal exchange with Natasha Cloud. Security intervened after Freedom stood up and took a step toward the court, which team officials categorized as an immediate boundary violation and safety threat.
The conflict unfolded against the backdrop of Kanter recent commentary regarding transgender athletes. The former NBA big man reportedly purchased courtside seats through a third party, leaving arena officials unaware of his exact location until shortly before tip-off.
When the third-quarter interaction with Cloud escalated, arena security, league officers, and Chicago police moved quickly to escort him out.
“He started walking. They didn’t wait to see how far he was going to walk or what he was going to do when he got there,” Alter said.
Alter affirmed that Wintrust Arena will remain off-limits to Kanter until he can demonstrate he is willing to abide by the league’s fan code of conduct.