Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom has filed a federal lawsuit against the Chicago Sky, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, and the City of Chicago, alleging his ejection from a WNBA game on August 23 was an unlawful violation of his First Amendment rights. The lawsuit, filed in Illinois, claims the entities conspired to eject him from the Wintrust Arena without just cause.
Kanter Freedom's ejection followed an altercation while he was seated courtside for a game between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever. He was wearing a t-shirt that read "Woman. Noun. Adult human female.," with the words "woman" and "female" highlighted. Kanter Freedom maintains this did not violate the WNBA's Fan Code of Conduct.
In the lawsuit, Kanter Freedom alleges that Sky star Natasha Cloud initiated a verbal exchange without provocation, cursing and yelling at him. He claims Cloud's actions were motivated by his shirt's message and his public stance on "protecting the integrity of women only sports." Kanter Freedom also stated that Cloud told him, "She's not going to sleep with you." He admitted to standing up and raising his arms during the game, which he described as a celebration of a three-pointer, not a disruptive act.
The lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction to lift a ban reportedly imposed on him by Sky owner Michael Alter. Kanter Freedom asserts that the defendants "worked together to eject Plaintiff in retaliation for protected expression" and continue to enforce an "unconstitutional ban" from Wintrust Arena, which he describes as public property.
Kanter Freedom announced the lawsuit on social media, stating, "I’m taking legal action over my ejection from the @ChicagoSky game while peacefully exercising my First Amendment rights." He further commented, "My T-shirt did what the whole @WNBA apparently couldn’t: define a woman. No threats. No violence. Just biology. And somehow, that required a security escort." He vowed to continue to "stand for women and defend free speech."
Earlier, Kanter Freedom's attempt to be eligible for the 2027 WNBA draft was reportedly blocked by league officials. A league source indicated that the WNBA would not "give oxygen to efforts designed to mock the league or use this topic to demean and marginalize others," characterizing his efforts as a "publicity stunt."
Natasha Cloud, when asked about the incident, stated she would not discuss "anything that happened with an irrelevant person" and would focus on issues affecting women and children, asserting that the "greatest threat to women and children in 2026 in the United States of America" is not transgender people.