Enes Kanter Freedom turned Sunday’s Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky matchup at Wintrust Arena into a political stage. The former NBA center drew attention courtside after a heated confrontation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud.
The heated exchange quickly escalated, prompting teammates and arena security to intervene, resulting in Kanter’s ejection from the arena.
Evan Turner Reacts to Enes Kanter Freedom’s Courtside Confrontation With Natasha Cloud During Fever vs. Sky
The incident took place late in the third quarter, after Cloud converted an inside bucket over Caitlin Clark with 1:22 remaining on the clock.
Following a quick celebratory chest bump with teammate Aicha Coulibaly, she turned her attention directly to Enes Kanter, who was seated courtside donning a shirt defining the word “woman.” The t-shirt read: “Woman: noun. Adult human female.”
Cloud approached the 6-foot-10 Kanter, yelling and pointing at him. Officials and Sky players intervened as Freedom stood with arms outstretched and stepped toward the court before security stopped him and escorted him out.
Ex-teammate Evan Turner, who shared the court with Kanter during their NBA days, voiced his confusion on social media.
“Enes, What are you doing, brother?” wrote Turner on X.
Enes,
What are you doing brother?— Evan Turner (@thekidet) August 24, 2026
While fans believe that this was an act of “standing up for women and highlighting the absurdity of a dangerous ideology that has spread around the world,” Cloud fired off a message on Threads in support of the transgender community.
“To every trans kid/person, You are apart of MY community & tribe. You belong. You’re loved. You’re seen. You’re perfect as you are. & you will always be protected by me,” wrote Cloud.
Following his ejection, Kanter posted a series of tweets, saying, “It’s always women hating on other women,” and claiming he “got kicked out of a WNBA game for supporting WOMEN! Let that sink in, AMERICA!”
The commotion came on the heels of Kanter’s declaration to enter the WNBA draft in a social media video earlier this month, aiming to challenge the league’s guidelines regarding self-identification.
“After careful consideration and reviewing the current eligibility guidelines, I’m officially declaring myself a WNBA prospect… I look forward to the WNBA honoring its stated principles and say I will see everyone at training camp,” said Enes.
While Article XIII of the WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement states that “only players who are women are eligible to play,” it does not define or specify gender identity. Kanter’s stunt targeted this very ambiguity, fueling the ongoing transgender debate sparked by Sophie Cunningham’s remarks in her ESPN interview.
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The Sky’s forward Azurá Stevens shut down the drama during the postgame, calling it a “fan incident.”
“There was just a fan incident, and the security handled it, and we’re just going to focus on the game,” stated Stevens.
Meanwhile, powered by Caitlin Clark’s 37-point, 10-assist double-double and Kelsey Mitchell’s 30-point performance, the Fever cruised to a dominant 113-90 victory, all while setting a franchise record after knocking down combined 18 three-pointers.
With this win, Indiana improves to 25-14, having clinched a third straight playoff berth. Meanwhile, the Sky are officially eliminated from playoff contention.
