Enes Kanter Freedom is officially unwelcome at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, banned from the Sky’s home court until he can prove he’s no longer a ‘potential threat.’ This news dropped Tuesday, following his wild ejection from Sunday’s Fever vs. Sky game, an incident that saw him booted from his courtside seat and then the building entirely.
A Wild Ejection and a Hard Stance from the WNBA
Talk about a quick turnaround! After Freedom’s disastrous appearance, where he was tossed during the game, the Chicago Sky owner, Michael Alter, didn’t waste any time. Alter made it crystal clear Tuesday that Freedom isn’t welcome back. And get this: the WNBA already shot down Freedom’s “apparent request” to enter the 2027 Draft, saying he and Royce White are totally ineligible to join the league. So, not only is he out of the arena, but he’s not even playing in the WNBA, full stop. Freedom, after getting the boot on Sunday, tried to play the victim on social media, claiming he was kicked out “for supporting women.” Seriously?
Sky Owner Drops Truth Bombs on Provocative Behavior
But Alter dropped some absolute truth bombs about what really went down. The Sky owner met with reporters Tuesday, zeroing in on that Sunday situation involving Freedom and Natasha Cloud. Alter said he got a heads-up that Freedom was coming around 2:30 p.m. CT that day, but had no idea where he’d even be sitting. And get this quote, per Colin Salao, “It was pretty clear to us that his purpose of coming here was trying to be provocative and just see how much attention he could get.” Alter also confirmed that folks sitting near Freedom said the whole back-and-forth with Cloud started with *him*! Alter characterized it as “trash talking, nothing personal” and “basketball-related, but enough to get her attention and to engage her, and in my opinion, to try to provoke her.” The Sky owner didn’t pull any punches, adding, “He portrays as this victimless person who did nothing, said nothing. Just wearing a t-shirt … We have five different security authorities that all agreed very quickly to throw him out because he made himself into a threat.” Yikes. Alter even admitted he regrets not telling the Sky or Fever players before the game that Freedom was going to be there. What a mess.
So what does this mean for Freedom going forward? While it’s not a “lifetime ban” from Wintrust Arena, Alter’s statement makes it sound like he won’t be seeing the inside of that building “any time soon.” There’s been no word from the WNBA about a league-wide ban from all arenas, but ESPN reported Monday that while the WNBA confirmed Freedom and White are ineligible to join the league, they haven’t announced plans to stop him from attending future games. It looks like the ball is in Freedom’s court, literally, to prove he can abide by the rules. Will he ever get to prove he’s not a “potential threat” and actually return to a WNBA game? We’ll have to wait and see, but don’t expect him back in Chicago any time soon after this whole situation.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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