Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom is offering his side of the story after being ejected from Sunday night’s Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky game following a heated confrontation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud.
Freedom told Jackson Thompson of OutKick that the exchange began after he celebrated a 3-pointer by Fever guard Sophie Cunningham.
According to Freedom, he put his hands up to celebrate Cunningham’s shot before Cloud allegedly returned several possessions later and confronted him.
“Sophie Cunningham shot a three, and I put my hands up to celebrate,” Freedom said. “Natasha came back and started screaming and yelling and said, ‘She’s not gonna sleep with you.’”
Freedom said he was surprised by the alleged comment and insisted that he was not attempting to pursue Cunningham romantically.
“I was shocked,” Freedom said, according to OutKick. “I was like, ‘Listen, I’m not trying to sleep with her. I think she’s awesome. She’s a good friend.’”
Freedom also suggested that the message on his shirt may have contributed to the confrontation.
He was sitting courtside wearing a black shirt that read, “WOMAN noun. adult human female,” as the WNBA continues to navigate an increasingly public debate surrounding transgender participation in women’s sports.
What happened at the game?
The confrontation occurred late in the third quarter of Indiana’s 113-90 victory over Chicago.
After Cloud scored with 1:22 remaining in the period, she celebrated with teammate Aicha Coulibaly before turning toward Freedom’s courtside position. Video showed Cloud yelling and pointing toward Freedom as she approached him.
Freedom stood up and moved toward the court while security personnel and several Sky players intervened between the two.
He was subsequently escorted from his courtside seat and out of the arena.
The incident quickly became one of the most talked-about moments from the game, overshadowing an Indiana victory in which the Fever scored 113 points.
Cloud receives support from Sky
Following the incident, Chicago head coach Tyler Marsh defended Cloud and said the organization supported her.
Marsh said Cloud was concerned that the confrontation could become a distraction for the team, but he told her that she had the team’s support.
Marsh characterized Cloud as someone who protects her teammates and people who need to be protected, adding that the Sky would stand behind her. (The Guardian)
The Sky ultimately lost the game 113-90 and have since been eliminated from playoff contention. (Reuters)
A controversy that goes beyond one confrontation
Sunday’s incident comes after Freedom and former NBA player Royce White publicly declared themselves eligible for the 2027 WNBA Draft amid their criticism of the league’s policies concerning transgender athletes.
Freedom has become increasingly outspoken on the issue and has used his WNBA appearances and social-media presence to amplify his position.
That backdrop was impossible to ignore Sunday, given the message displayed on his shirt and the confrontation with Cloud.
However, the specific claim that Cloud made the alleged comment about Cunningham comes from Freedom’s account of the incident. The publicly available video establishes that the two exchanged words and that Freedom was eventually removed, but it does not independently establish everything that was said during the exchange.
For now, the incident has created another flashpoint surrounding the WNBA at a time when conversations about player safety, fan behavior, gender identity and political expression have increasingly intersected with the league.
And with Freedom now publicly explaining what he says happened, the confrontation between him and Cloud is likely to remain a talking point well beyond Sunday’s game.
