Enes Kanter Freedom. Image via: Getty Images
Enes Kanter Freedom, an 11-year NBA veteran who last played in the league in 2022, was seated courtside wearing a shirt reading “Woman noun.
“There was just a fan incident, security handled it,” she said, before turning the conversation back to the game. Enes Kanter Freedom was pulled out of Wintrust Arena during the third quarter of Sunday’s Fever-Sky game, and the fallout has outlasted the final buzzer by days. Security walked him off the baseline to a wall of boos after a heated back and forth with Sky guard Natasha Cloud, and within minutes he was telling his side of the story online. Adult human female. Cloud scored a basket late in the third quarter and appeared to direct comments his way from the floor. Freedom stood, put his hands up, and within moments arena security had moved in and walked him out while both Fever and Sky fans booed. Sky forward Azurá Stevens kept her postgame comments brief.
Fever coach Stephanie White downplayed the incident afterward, calling it a distraction from a franchise-record 18 three-pointers and Clark’s own career high. The league’s collective bargaining agreement states that only women are eligible to play, though it doesn’t define gender identity directly, and Freedom has said he intends to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft.
Coach Tyler Marsh said Cloud didn’t want to become a distraction and that the team told her otherwise. “We all embrace her as someone that protects our team,” Marsh said, adding that Cloud has the Sky’s full support. Fever guard Caitlin Clark said she missed the whole thing. “I didn’t see it,” she said, noting her focus was on the huddle. “It’s a social media thing,” she said. “I just got kicked out of a WNBA game for supporting WOMEN!” he posted, framing the removal as retaliation for his stance rather than anything he did on the baseline. The league has not said whether the incident will carry any further consequences.
Freedom didn’t wait long to respond. In a separate post, the ex NBA star added, “It’s always women hating on other women.