Enes Kanter Freedom won’t be stepping foot inside Wintrust Arena anytime soon. Chicago Sky owner Michael Alter spoke out Tuesday about the recent incident involving Kanter Freedom and star Natasha Cloud, making it crystal clear: Kanter Freedom isn’t allowed back at Sky home games until “he’s able to prove to us that he’s able to abide by our rules without being a potential threat.” Alter pulled no punches, stating, “It was pretty clear to us that his purpose of coming here was trying to be as provocative and just see how much attention he could get.”
The Courtside Chaos That Started It All
So what actually went down? The whole mess unfolded during the third quarter of the Sky’s loss to the Indiana Fever on Sunday. After hitting a layup, Cloud turned and absolutely erupted at Kanter Freedom, who was sitting right there along the baseline. Teammates had to hold her back, trying to keep things from escalating. Kanter Freedom, meanwhile, started taking steps toward the court. Security had to step in, stopping him and walking him right out of the arena. And get this: he was seen arguing with security and police *before* he even left the building. Alter confirmed after talking to people seated nearby that the whole dialogue started with Kanter Freedom. He “began to chirp with her sometime in the third quarter,” Alter said, characterizing it as “trash talking, nothing personal. Basketball-related, but enough to get her attention and to engage with her, and in my opinion, to try to provoke her.” Wild.
More Than Just ‘Trash Talk’: The Bigger Picture
This isn’t just about courtside chirping, though. Kanter Freedom, who played 11 seasons in the NBA from 2011-2022 and legally changed his name in 2021 after becoming a U.S. citizen, has actively thrown himself into the transgender athletes discussion that’s been buzzing around the league. This whole thing picked up steam after Fever guard Sophie Cunningham voiced her opinion on the topic in an ESPN feature, supporting barring transgender athletes from women’s sports. Anti-trans protests have even popped up outside Fever away games. Sunday, Kanter Freedom showed up wearing a black T-shirt with a definition for the word “woman” on it. He’s even gone on social media claiming he’s a “WNBA prospect” and that he was booted “for supporting women.” But here’s the reality check: there are no transgender players in the WNBA, nor are any preparing to enter. The league’s CBA states, loud and clear, that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” So, no, Kanter Freedom and former NBA player Royce White are not eligible, despite their claims. Alter put it perfectly: “He portrays as this victimless person who did nothing, said nothing… We have five different security authorities that all agreed very quickly to throw him out because he made himself into a threat.” His one regret? Not telling his players about Kanter’s attendance and seating beforehand.
The Sky, who hit Tuesday’s game against the Connecticut Sun with a 15-23 record and already eliminated from playoff contention, can at least rest easy knowing this particular distraction won’t be back at Wintrust Arena. The WNBA hasn’t said he’s banned from *all* games, but for Chicago home games? Yeah, he’s definitely off limits.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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