‘Don’t give it any gas’: Fever coach sends a message on Enes Kanter Freedom

Aug 2, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White talks with the media before the game between the Minnesota Lynx and Indiana Fever at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom drew widespread criticism during Sunday night’s game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky when he had to be removed from the arena after a verbal altercation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud. However, Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White doesn’t want to give him the attention he was clearly seeking.

After the game, which the Fever won by a score of 113-90 thanks to a prolific performance from superstar Caitlin Clark, White urged the media not to give Kanter “any gas.”

Kanter Removed From Game

Throughout Sunday night’s game, Kanter could be seen sitting courtside wearing a black T-shirt that read: “WOMAN noun. adult human female,” a statement against trans women in women’s sports.

In the final minutes of the third quarter, tensions rose between Kanter and Cloud, resulting in a verbal altercation near the team’s bench.

The Sky guard began walking toward Kanter Freedom and shouting at him. Kanter, meanwhile, was standing with his arms outstretched and stepped toward the court before security escorted him out.

Kanter then pumped his fist and mocked Cloud by making a talking gesture with his hand. Eventually, he waved his arms to the crowd before holding out his shirt to show its message while leaving.

Natasha Cloud gets into it with Enes Kanter during Fever/Sky.

Kanter was escorted out of the arena.pic.twitter.com/ZKrYxVZVDu

— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) August 24, 2026

‘Don’t give it any gas’

The incident was yet another distraction that the Fever has had to deal with this season, and White was asked about it after the game.

Instead of condemning Kanter’s actions, however, White took a different approach as she simply asked the media not to give Kanter the attention that he was so clearly seeking.

“I think it’s important that people, like you guys in this room, don’t give it any gas. Right? It’s a social media thing,” White said in her postgame press conference.

Clark, meanwhile, said that she didn’t see the incident since they were huddled preparing for the next play. She said that would be a better question for the Sky.

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