The debate over the possible participation of transgender women in the WNBA took a fresh twist on Sunday when former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom was thrown out of the Indiana-Chicago game after a confrontation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud.
Turkish-American Kanter Freedom was seen sitting along the baseline wearing a black shirt that read “WOMAN noun. adult human female.”
When Indiana called for a timeout after a Cloud field goal with 1:22 left in the third quarter, the 5-foot-10 player turned around and walked in Kanter Freedom’s direction, yelling and pointing at him.
In response, Kanter Freedom held his arms out and took one step on the court as security and a handful of Sky players moved in between the two.
The NBA veteran, who played for five teams from 2011 to 2022, stopped near the basket to plead his case to security as he was escorted from the court area.
Kanter Freedom spun around while holding his shirt out and encouraged the crowd to respond as he walked toward the front lobby.
He had a conversation with a group of police officers before departing Wintrust Arena.
Kanter Freedom had taken part in a small rally in support of Cunningham outside the arena before the game.
Chicago Sky coach comments on the incident
Chicago coach Tyler Marsh praised the league and its players for their resolve over the latest spate of controversies that affected the league.
“If you come to a game you should probably come to enjoy the basketball,” he said, “and that seems pretty simple to me. I think these players deserve that and have earned that. Being a former basketball player, you should probably understand and feel that too.”
Cloud did not speak with the media but met with the team and league security after the game.
Cloud’s teammate, forward Azura Stevens, thanked the security officials for addressing what she called a “fan incident” and noted that they were focused on the game.
Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark, on the other hand, dismissed the incident, claiming that her team was focused on the huddle, listening to their next plays.
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Clark stars for Fever
The incident overshadowed Clark’s 37-point, 10-assist explosion as the Fever pulled away from the Sky in the second half, winning 113-90.
Clark made a career-high eight of Indiana’s franchise-record 18 3-pointers.
Kelsey Mitchell added 30 for the Fever, who played without starting center Aliyah Boston (due to a right leg injury).
Indiana used a 13-2 spurt to take a 71-60 lead in the third quarter, and did not look back, to seal the win.
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