Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom has filed a federal lawsuit in Illinois against the Chicago Sky, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA), and the City of Chicago, alleging he was unjustly removed from a WNBA game and subsequently banned from the venue. The lawsuit, filed Thursday, centers on events that transpired during a Chicago Sky vs. Indiana Fever game on August 23.
Freedom claims in his suit that the defendants targeted him due to his public statements throughout the summer concerning biological men participating in women's sports. He asserts that he was not behaving inappropriately at the game, where he was courtside wearing a shirt that read, “WOMAN noun, adult human female.” Freedom maintains this attire did not violate the WNBA Fan Code of Conduct. He also stated that his actions, such as standing to celebrate a three-point basket by Fever player Sophie Cunningham, were not disruptive.
According to the lawsuit, Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud initiated a verbal confrontation with Freedom in the third quarter, charging toward his courtside seat and directing profanity at him. Freedom alleges that Cloud's actions were triggered by his shirt and his public viewpoints. He claims he responded by stating he was there to support women and protect women's sports, not to harass Ms. Cunningham.
Freedom further alleges that members of the Chicago Sky, MPEA, and the City of Chicago conspired to eject him from the game and enforce an indefinite ban from Wintrust Arena. The lawsuit contends that these actions constitute retaliation for protected expression and violate his First Amendment rights. Freedom is seeking unspecified damages and a permanent injunction to lift the ban from the arena, which he notes is public property managed by the MPEA.
"You don't have to agree with my speech," Freedom posted on his X account Thursday, "but you don't get to silence me for it. I will not be intimidated. I will not be silenced. I will continue to stand for women and defend free speech."