Former Los Angeles Lakers forward Matt Ryan has publicly supported Enes Kanter Freedom following his ejection from a WNBA game, criticizing the league's stance on transgender athletes and its definition of womanhood.
Freedom was removed from the Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky game after a courtside exchange with Sky guard Natasha Cloud. Freedom stated he was at the game to support Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who he described as an advocate for protecting women's sports. According to Freedom, the altercation began when Cloud verbally confronted him after a play by Cunningham.
Freedom told Fox News Digital that Cloud used profanity during the exchange, which he found inappropriate, especially in front of younger attendees. "She started to use some very heavy language, she started to actually cuss," Freedom said. "I was very shocked that there were a lot of kids and teenagers at that game... using those F-bombs in front of all these kids. That’s not a WNBA athlete reaction."
Ryan commented on Freedom's Instagram, stating, "Just insane times we are living in. Getting demonized for trying to PROTECT women's sports and calling out the absurdity that the WNBA cannot define what the W is... just unreal and sad." He expressed hope that Freedom's actions would prompt the league to "protect the future young women."
Doubling down on his stance in a social media post, Ryan asserted that a significant majority of the country understands basic definitions and believes individuals not born as women should not compete in women's sports. He emphasized that this position is not transphobic but a matter of protecting fairness and the integrity of women's athletics. Ryan suggested the WNBA has a "golden opportunity to be PRO- women and protect their league’s integrity."
Freedom indicated that WNBA leadership faces a significant challenge in defining what a woman is and establishing appropriate rules for the league moving forward. The incident has drawn attention to the broader debate surrounding gender identity and women's sports. Fever superstar Caitlin Clark stated she did not see the incident, while Fever coach Stephanie White dismissed it as a "social media thing." Sky forward Azura Stevens called it a routine "fan incident."