Enes Kanter Freedom Ejected After Verbal Confrontation at WNBA Game

Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom was ejected from the Indiana Fever versus Chicago Sky game at Wintrust Arena after a verbal altercation with Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud during the third quarter, as reported on August 23, 2026.

The Indiana Fever led the game 113-90. Kanter Freedom, who was courtside wearing a black T-shirt defining "WOMAN noun. adult human female," was confronted by Cloud during a timeout. Cloud approached Kanter Freedom, yelling at him, which prompted Kanter to step toward the court with arms outstretched before security escorted him out.

Chicago Sky head coach Tyler Marsh praised Cloud for standing up to protect her team and others.

"I talked to the team and Tash didn’t want to feel like she was a distraction, I told her she wasn’t. I told 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," Marsh said at the postgame press conference.

Marsh noted Cloud needed to calm down after the incident but eventually refocused and contributed to the game.

"She’s passionate, and she’s passionate about the things she believes in, she’s passionate about her teammates and we’re passionate about her," Marsh added.

When asked about Kanter Freedom, Marsh urged fans to attend WNBA games to enjoy basketball rather than cause disruptions.

"I think that there’s so much good things about this league and so many good things about the play of these players and if you come to a game you should probably come to enjoy the basketball and that seems pretty simple to me. I think these players deserve that and have earned that. Being a former basketball player you should understand and feel that too," Marsh said.

Kanter Freedom later explained the incident to media outlet OutKick, describing how Cloud shouted at him after he celebrated a three-point shot by Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham.

"Sophie Cunningham shot a three, and I put my hands up to celebrate," Kanter Freedom said. "Literally, a couple possessions later, Natasha came back and started screaming and yelling and said, ‘She’s not gonna sleep with you.’

"And I was like, ‘I am not trying to sleep with her. I’m just here to protect women and support her.’ And then, obviously, after that she started yapping, and she started to walk towards me, and literally I just got up, and then I was like, ‘I’m just here to protect women, and that’s all.’"

Kanter Freedom, 34, who has declared himself eligible for the 2027 WNBA draft, attended the game wearing a shirt that defined a woman, which he believes triggered the confrontation.

"I was obviously wearing a shirt explaining what a woman is, and I think that had a lot to do with what she thinks about women. I think it triggered her a lot," he said.

Kanter Freedom’s previous interactions with Cloud included an offer to buy her a plane ticket to countries he considers more tyrannical after Cloud called America "trash."

Meanwhile, Chicago Sky forward Azura Stevens mentioned that security handled the incident and emphasized the team's focus on the game after their loss.

During the same game, Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark extended her record for most 30-point, 10-assist games with 37 points and 10 assists, while Kelsey Mitchell set a WNBA record by scoring 20 or more points in 22 consecutive games, including 30 points in this match.

Emmy-nominated sportscaster Chris Williamson blamed Sophie Cunningham for the controversy surrounding Kanter Freedom and Cloud’s confrontation due to Cunningham’s opposition to transgender athletes in women’s sports, which has been a recent source of debate in the WNBA.

Williamson criticized the league for not disciplining Cunningham for her comments, stating, "The moment the league didn't discipline Sophie Cunningham for her transphobic comments, they set the table for almost all of this political discourse and nastiness towards the trans community. Her conduct has objectively been detrimental to the league."

Cunningham has publicly expressed opposition to transgender women competing in women’s sports but has urged the media to focus on basketball rather than off-court controversies.