Why was Enes Kanter Freedom ejected from a WNBA game? The controversy over trans athletes, explained
The former New York Knicks player joined a rally in support of the Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham, before clashing courtside with Natasha Cloud of the Chicago Sky
Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom was ejected from the WNBA game between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever held at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago on Sunday.
He was sitting courtside wearing a black T-shirt that read “Woman: noun, adult human female” across the chest. Late in the third quarter, Sky guard Natasha Cloud scored and confronted Freedom during a timeout. He stood up with his arms outstretched and stepped onto the court before security and players intervened.
Freedom was then escorted from the arena, displaying his shirt as he walked towards the lobby. “I just got kicked out of a WNBA game for supporting women! Let that sink in, America!” he said in a statement shared on X and Instagram.
Cloud responded on Threads, saying: “To every trans kid/person, you are a part of my community and tribe. You belong. You’re loved. You’re seen. You’re perfect as you are and you will always be protected by me.”
Freedom also took part in a small rally in support of Cunningham held before Sunday’s game.
So, how is Enes Kanter Freedom connected to the recent WNBA controversy? Here is what we know.
He declared himself ‘eligible’ for WNBA draft
Sunday’s incident came after Freedom and fellow former NBA player Royce White declared themselves eligible for the 2027 WNBA draft in recent weeks, claiming they identified as women. The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that the two men are not deemed eligible for the draft, citing a source familiar with the decision. A source also told USA Today that the declarations were “publicity stunts” and that the league would not “give oxygen to efforts designed to mock the league or use this topic to demean or marginalise others”.