Enes Kanter Freedom caused a stir after declaring himself for the 2027 WNBA draft, challenging the league’s self-identification policies and inclusion.
During Fever vs Sky at Wintrust Arena on Sunday, the former NBA center made a baseline appearance wearing a black T-shirt reading, “WOMAN noun. adult human female,” adding fuel to the raging controversy.
Enes Kanter Freedom’s Revelation Draws Backlash for Chicago Sky GM Jeff Pagliocca
What started as a courtside seat protest ended with Freedom’s ejection from the arena after a heated exchange with Sky guard Natasha Cloud. As the dust was settling, the Kanter’s revelation has shifted the narrative from the court to the front office.
Appearing on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, Enes Kanter claimed that Jeff Pagliocca, the Chicago Sky general manager and his former trainer, knew he was attending the match.
“They are lying. Why? Because the GM of the Chicago Sky was my trainer, and I trained with him. Before the game, we texted him and said, ‘Hey, we’re going to come to the game. We want peace. We don’t want nothing controversial. We just want to come, sit down, and watch the game and enjoy the game,” Freedom told Laura Ingraham.
He added, “They even messaged us and said, ‘Just enjoy the game.’ I said, perfect. So they knew I was coming to the game, and everything they said is a lie.”
Kanter Freedom: So they’re lying. Because the GM of the Chicago Sky was actually my trainer. We actually texted him and said hey we are going to come to the game—we want peace, nothing controversial… pic.twitter.com/2Vw4auisbC
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 24, 2026
That four-word invite from Pagliocca instantly set social media ablaze, landing him directly at the center of the ongoing culture war.
One fan tweeted, “Nah, this enough to get you fired where the smoke for Jeff.”
“Remember when sky fans chanted fire jeff? let’s run that back pls,” added another fan.
“Wow. So the GM knew he was coming. Knowing good and well he’s there to be a distraction. Thank God Angel got out when she did. The Chicago Sky will not prosper with Jeff at the helm,” posted one user expressing frustration over the organizational leadership.
“And Jeff said yes come??? When is he getting fired as the GM of the Chicago Sky. Jeff is absolutely the worst,” wrote a second fan.
A second user bluntly posted, “As we said. Fire Jeff ass. This needs to be the last straw.”
“It’s been so long past time for the sky to move on from Jeff Pagliocca, and if it’s true that he just let Enes come in and run his dumb little side show….woof,” commented another user.
A third user chipped in, “Oh so the Sky GM invited this guy? Fire Jeff!!!”
“It’s wraps for jeff cause this is quite insane, he knew that this man was coming and did nothing ✌🏽,” tweeted a fan.
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The Chicago Sky are 15-23 this WNBA season, and after their recent 90-113 blowout home loss to the Indiana Fever, they are officially out of the playoff race. This marks their third straight postseason absence since their last appearance in 2023.
With the team struggling to find stability on the court, it will be a sight to see how the front office navigates this turbulent off-court drama.
