Enes Kanter’s presence at Sunday night’s Sky-Fever game led to quite the ruckus. At the 1:22 mark of the third quarter, he got into a heated argument with Chicago’s Natasha Cloud as he sat near courtside.
The interaction resulted in Kanter being kicked out of Wintrust Arena.
“I’m supporting women, and that is the reason they are kicking me out. This is unacceptable,” he told security as he was being escorted out.
Following the heated debacle, he spoke with Fox News’ Jackson Thompson and broke down everything that transpired and what Cloud said to him.
Enes Kanter Goes Into What Natasha Cloud Said to Him During Their Heated Exchange
Kanter said he’s a “huge fan of women’s basketball” when asked what his initial motivations were to go to the Sky-Fever. He then said, “I was excited because I’m a huge fan of the Fever. First half went amazing. I was having so much fun with my friends and stuff.”
Enes Freedom just got into it with some Sky players, then was escorted out of the arena. Natasha Cloud was clearly upset in a verbal exchange: pic.twitter.com/WKOHj9lgA8
— Tony East (@TonyREast) August 24, 2026
“Toward the end of the third quarter, Sophie Cunningham shot a three, and I put my hands up to celebrate,” Kanter continued.
“A couple of possessions later, Natasha came back and started screaming and yelling and said, ‘She’s not going to sleep with you.’ I was like, ‘I am not trying to sleep with her. I’m just here to protect women and support her.’”
BREAKING: Enes Kanter Freedom just told me what happened with him and Natasha Cloud that led to his ejection.
“Sophie Cunningham shot a three, and I put my hands up to celebrate… Natasha came back and started screaming and yelling and said, ‘She’s not gonna sleep with you.”…
— Jackson Thompson (@JackThompsonFOX) August 24, 2026
Kanter claimed that Cloud started yelling at him, as he criticized her for using expletives. After condemning her for her language and claiming that a WNBA player should not have reacted that way, he recalled asking the security guards why he had been asked to leave.
“Obviously, after that, she started yapping and yelling. She started to walk toward me and literally I just got up and said, ‘I’m just here to protect women and that’s all’. She started to yell and started to use some very heavy language and actually started to cuss.”
“And I was very shocked because there were a lot of kids and teenagers at the game and I cannot believe she was just cussing and using those F-bombs.”
According to Kanter, they did not give him a definitive reason. The primary reason for the vitriolic reaction toward the former Boston Celtics center from Cloud and one side of the trans-eligibility debate is his declaration for the 2027 WNBA Draft.
The aftermath of this interaction has been mixed. Sky head coach Tyler Marsh stood by Cloud, saying, “I told her that we all embrace her as someone that protects our team and protects people that need to be protected.”
Sky coach Tyler Marsh speaking on the incident between Natasha Cloud and Enes Kanter Freedom:
“I told her that we all embrace her as someone that protects our team and protects people that need to be protected. Tash is always going to stand on that, and we stand for Tash.”
— Colin Salao (@colincsalao) August 24, 2026
Kanter, on the other hand, has been embraced by people who stand with the sentiment that trans athletes should be banned from women’s sports. Given the magnitude of the exchange and its nationwide coverage, it remains to be seen whether Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and league officials decide to impose any penalties.
The Fever ended up winning the game 113-90 as Caitlin Clark returned with a double-double of 37 points and 10 assists.
