Former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom recounted his courtside ejection from a WNBA game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky, detailing a profane confrontation with Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud. Freedom appeared on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle" to discuss the incident, which occurred late in the third quarter of the game at Wintrust Arena.
Freedom stated he was in attendance to support Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who he said has faced criticism for defending women's sports. He explained that after celebrating a made three-pointer by Cunningham, Cloud approached him and yelled, "(Sophie Cunningham) is not going to sleep with you."
Freedom described the exchange as confusing, emphasizing his intent to support Cunningham and women's sports. He further alleged that Cloud escalated the situation with profanity, directed at him in front of younger attendees. "She started to come toward me and I literally got up... I'm like, what did I do? She should be the one to be thrown out of the game," Freedom said.
Despite his account, arena security escorted Freedom from the venue, while Cloud reportedly faced no penalty. Freedom suggested that his presence and his shirt, which defined "woman" as "adult human female," may have been a factor.
"I'm shocked it's a controversial topic nowadays, but it is," Freedom said regarding the definition of woman.
Freedom's account comes amid discussions about gender policies in women's sports, with some, like former NBA player Royce White, suggesting the WNBA might attempt to ban Freedom from future games to avoid scrutiny.
Fever head coach Stephanie White, when asked about the incident postgame, characterized it as a "social media thing."