Enes Kanter Freedom didn’t exactly blend into the crowd at Wintrust Arena on Sunday. Sitting courtside, he wore a shirt emblazoned with the words, “WOMAN noun. adult human female.” The message quickly drew attention, including from Chicago Sky’s Natasha Cloud. Tensions eventually spilled into an argument between the two, and what started at courtside ended with Kanter being ejected from the arena. But that’s barely where it all ends.

As per new reports, the Sky has now banned Kanter from their home games.

As per journalist Kareem Copeland, who quoted Sky owner Michael Alter on X: “He has demonstrated to us, unequivocally, that he has the potential to be a threat.”

Alter made this statement on Tuesday as he spoke in a news conference. He added 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.”

But the fallout may not extend across the entire league. A league source familiar with the situation told Front Office Sports that the WNBA does not plan to hand him a league-wide ban.

Further, according to Alter, the call to remove Freedom resonated across authorities. Arena security, NBA security, Chicago Sky security, Indiana Fever security and the Chicago Police Department all agreed that his actions warranted his removal.

“The security people’s job is not to wait until a threat intensifies,” Alter explained. “We had five different security authorities all agree very quickly that there was no alternative but to throw him out because he made himself into a threat.”

Here’s what happened: on Sunday, Kanter and Chicago guard Natasha Cloud got into a verbal altercation that led to the former NBA player being escorted out of the arena. Two days later, the Sky franchise announced a ban on him. However, Kanter has maintained that Cloud approached him and started screaming and yelling.

Alter doesn’t agree with that narrative and offered a different account after speaking with people who were sitting near him during the incident in the third quarter.

“I’ve had both of these people, separately, confirm that the dialogue, the engagement, whatever you want or however you want to characterize it, between Cloud and Freedom Kanter, started with Kanter,” Alter said according to Front Office Sports on Tuesday.

“I would characterize it as trash talking, nothing personal, basketball-related, but enough to get her attention and to engage her, and, in my opinion, try to provoke her.”

The account contradicts Freedom’s version and deepens the transgender-eligibility debate. Enes Kanter Freedom has been vocal about transgender athletes competing in women’s sports. He spoke up about the eligibility criteria of the WNBA after Sophie Cunningham’s comments earlier this season sparked a wider debate.

He has since mentioned his interest in declaring for the 2027 WNBA Draft, citing the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, which states that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.”

He argued that the language does not clearly define whether “women” refers to biological sex or gender identity. The conversation has reached a point where it’s hard to say it will slow down anytime soon.

So, despite being banned from Wintrust Arena, Freedom has made it clear that he isn’t planning to step away from the WNBA conversation. In an interview with Fox News, he has announced that he intends to attend every Fever playoff game.

Natasha Cloud, meanwhile, has made her feelings on the situation clear

Following the incident, the Sky guard took to Threads and wrote, “Your beliefs shouldn’t affect [others’] lives. You don’t have to agree or live your life like that. But you can s*** & mind your business, home, beds, and bodies.”

Even though no transgender player has played in the WNBA, the conversation around trans athletes in women’s sports has become so divisive that games are now being overshadowed by it.

The WNBA draft declarations from Enes Kanter Freedom and fellow former NBA player Royce White may, however, not go any further. An individual (anonymous) familiar with the situation told the AP on Monday that they are ineligible.

And if the events at Wintrust Arena are any indication, this debate is likely to keep finding its way into the WNBA’s biggest moments.