Former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom was ejected from Sunday night's WNBA game between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky after a confrontation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud late in the third quarter.
Freedom was seated along the baseline wearing a black shirt that read "WOMAN noun. adult human female."
With 1:22 remaining in the third period, the Fever called a timeout after Cloud scored inside. Cloud shared a chest bump with teammate Aicha Coulibaly before turning around and walking toward Freedom.
Freedom was sitting along the baseline. He had on a black shirt that read “WOMAN noun. adult human female” (Getty)Cloud, 34, began yelling and pointing at Freedom, 34, as she approached him. Freedom stood up, extended his arms, and took a step onto the court before security personnel and several Sky players stepped between them.
"There was just a fan incident and the security handled it, and we're just going to focus on the game," Chicago forward Azura Stevens said after the Sky's 113-90 loss.
Chicago coach Tyler Marsh said Cloud was concerned about being a distraction for the team.
The Fever called for a timeout after Cloud scored inside with 1:22 left in the third. Cloud then did a chest bump with teammate Aicha Coulibaly before turning around and walking in Kanter's direction (Getty)"I told her she wasn’t," Marsh said. "I told her that we all embrace her as someone that protects our team and protects people that need to be protected and so Tash is always going to stand on that, and we stand for Tash."
Freedom stopped near the basket to argue his case to security as he was escorted from the court area. He spun around while holding his shirt out to encourage a response from the crowd as he walked toward the front lobby.
He spoke with a group of police officers before departing Wintrust Arena.
Cloud, 34, started yelling and pointing at Kanter, 34, as she approached him. A standing Kanter held his arms out and took one step on the court as security and a handful of Sky players moved in between the two (Getty)"I didn’t see it, we were talking about the next play in our huddle," Indiana star Caitlin Clark said, "so I think that’s probably a question for Chicago."
Cloud met with team and league security after the game but did not speak with the media.
The WNBA has recently been the focus of debate over whether transgender women — individuals assigned male at birth who transition to align with their gender identity — should be allowed to compete in the league. No transgender athlete has ever played in the WNBA.
Sophie Cunningham #8 of the Indiana Fever celebrates a three pointer against the Chicago Sky (Getty)Although the league's collective bargaining agreement states it is restricted to women, it contains no specific language regarding gender identity or sex assigned at birth.
Fever guard Sophie Cunningham stated in an ESPN profile published last month that she was opposed to transgender girls and women competing in girls' and women's sports. Freedom and another former NBA player, Royce White, have declared themselves eligible for the WNBA draft, saying they identify as women.
Freedom joined a small rally supporting Cunningham outside Wintrust Arena before the game.
Cunningham said in an ESPN profile published last month that she was opposed to transgender girls and women competing in girls’ and women’s sports (AP)Asked if he had a message for Freedom, Marsh praised the league and its players.
"If you come to a game you should probably come to enjoy the basketball," he said, "and that seems pretty simple to me. I think these players deserve that and have earned that. Being a former basketball player, you should probably understand and feel that too."
There were no major issues between Sophie Cunningham and DiJonai Carrington in Indiana's 113-90 victory over Chicago on Sunday night. Cunningham scored three points for the Fever in 11 minutes, while Carrington recorded seven points for the Sky in 18 minutes.
“There was just a fan incident and the security handled it, and we're just going to focus on the game,” Chicago forward Azura Stevens said after the Sky's 113-90 loss. (AP)It was the first matchup between the teams since Cunningham was brought down by Carrington on a fast break earlier this month. Carrington was listed as questionable with a left foot injury, but was cleared after warmups.
Cunningham downplayed any lingering animosity between the teams going into the game. Indiana had dropped two straight games.
"My mindset has never changed. I think it is what it is," Cunningham said. "I’m locked in on tonight. ... I think we’re just out here trying to get the win."
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks after the 2026 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game at the United Center on July 25 (Getty)Cunningham and Carrington both checked in for the first time with 3::green-background[04] remaining in the first quarter, with no notable disputes between the players all night long.
Sky coach Tyler Marsh said he had no conversations with his players before the game about the tense atmosphere from their previous matchup.
"That kind of was what it was last game and anything that came out of it kind of lasted for that time," Marsh said. "But for us, again, it was on to the next one in front of us."
Freedom stopped near the basket to plead his case to security as he was escorted from the court area (Getty)Cunningham was going up for a layup in the first quarter of Indiana's 90-86 win on Aug. 8 when Carrington came from behind and struck her in the head and neck, knocking her to the court as the shot went in. Cunningham got up, charged Carrington and pushed her as she was held back by a teammate.
A view of the shoes worn by Enes Kanter #13 of the Boston Celtics against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at State Farm Arena on November 17, 2021 (Getty)The referees reviewed the play and upgraded it to a Flagrant 2 after citing windup, impact, and follow-through, resulting in Carrington's ejection.
Shortly after being thrown out, Carrington posted "WHITE PRIVILEGE" on social media and tagged the Fever. Carrington is Black and Cunningham is white.
Days later, Carrington said she never claimed the Flagrant 2 assessment resulted from white privilege, though she did not elaborate further.
"I (couldn't) care less about what she does, what she tweets, any of that," Cunningham said before Sunday's game. "I’m here to play basketball.
"There's going to be people who are going to talk about it ... but to me, it’s just another basketball game."
Leave a Comment