Police have reportedly stopped Enes Kanter Freedom while he tried to enter State Farm Arena for Game 3 of the WNBA Finals on Wednesday. Freedom, who had already received a private suite following security concerns, claimed that they kicked him out of the game, adding another flashpoint to his ongoing dispute with the league.
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“I just got kicked out of a @WNBA game for the second time in a row for supporting WOMEN! Let that sink in, AMERICA!” Freedom wrote on X.
This was Freedom’s first appearance at a WNBA game since August, when he attended the Chicago Sky vs. the Indiana Fever. There too, he was ejected after he got into a verbal altercation with Natasha Cloud.
In a separate video shared by Fox News reporter Jackson Thompson, an arena administrator explained why Freedom was not being allowed inside. The administrator cited three issues: Freedom’s previously expressed concerns about his security, his conduct during the Sky and the Fever game, and the “What Is a Woman?” shirt he was wearing.
“We have seven police officers just surrounding us like I’m a t****rist. All I’ve done is protect women and support women. And this is what I get in America. Don’t forget that. Let that sink in,” Enes Kanter Freedom said.
“This is discrimination. This is unbelievable,” he further added.
The 34-year-old’s decision to attend Game 3 was driven by comments from Golden State Valkyries star Gabby Williams, who expressed support for transgender athletes playing in the WNBA.
This confrontation now adds another chapter to Freedom’s increasingly contentious relationship with the WNBA, where his comments about trans players have drawn significant attention.
Enes Kanter Freedom has become one of the most controversial figures surrounding the league after declaring for the 2027 WNBA Draft while identifying as a woman. His declaration was an indirect protest aimed at challenging the WNBA to clarify its definition of a woman and its eligibility criteria.
However, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has addressed the issue directly. In a response letter dated October 16, addressed to the members of the U.S. Congress, Engelbert said that Freedom and Royce White, another former NBA player who declared for the 2027 WNBA Draft, are “both men” and therefore ineligible to play in the women’s league.
So, with Enes Kanter Freedom having now been turned away from two WNBA games, the latest incident makes one thing clear: his protest is unlikely to fade from the conversation as the league nears its conclusion. And with the 2027 WNBA Draft approaching, his challenge to the league’s eligibility rules could remain a talking point well beyond the Finals.