Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom attended this past Sunday's Chicago Sky game against the Indiana Fever and got himself ejected when he got into a heated argument from a courtside area with the Sky's Natasha Cloud. Now, several days after Kanter Freedom's ejection from the game, the Sky have made a major decision: they've banned him from attending any future games in their venue indefinitely. According to Front Office Sports' Colin Salao, Sky owner Michael Alter spoke about Kanter Freedom's ban and indicated he won't be allowed back in the Wintrust 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." The report also indicates Alter had conversations with multiple individuals seated in the same area as Kanter Freedom, who confirmed he was the one who initiated the "dialogue" or "engagement" with Cloud during the game, which ultimately resulted in his ejection.
"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," Alter also said of Kanter Freedom's remarks that Cloud confronted him over. Read more: Enes Kanter Ejected From Fever-Sky After Heated Confrontation With WNBA Player While Alter said Kanter Freedom didn't step past the baseline and onto the WNBA court, he indicated that Kanter Freedom "turned himself into a threat" once he stood up and approached a player on the court. Kanter Freedom was the No. 3 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz, where he played the first part of his career.
He had stints with the Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, and Portland Trail Blazers before his career ended. Several weeks ago, he went viral with a social media video in which he said he was declaring for the 2027 WNBA Draft, unless the league changed its transgender participation policy. He showed up at the Sky game against the Fever this past Sunday wearing a shirt reading, "WOMAN noun: adult human female," and then had his third-quarter courtside interaction with Cloud that resulted in an ejection and ban.
Cloud, 34, has played in the WNBA since 2015 and won a championship in 2019 with the Washington Mystics. She was also a WNBA All-Defensive First Team selection and the league's assists leader in 2022. She didn't speak at any postgame press conferences after the Fever-Sky game regarding her confrontation with Kanter Freedom.
According to Front Office Sports' report, a Sky spokesperson said Cloud spoke with team and league security following the game. They also reported that sources have said the WNBA won't issue a league-wide ban against Kanter Freedom over Sunday's confrontation with Cloud. Read more: Natasha Cloud Breaks Silence After Explosive Enes Kanter Freedom Confrontation For more about the Chicago Sky and WNBA, visit Newsweek Sports.
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