Enes Kanter has landed himself in trouble with the Chicago Sky following his verbal altercation with Natasha Cloud on Sunday. On Tuesday, the franchise announced that Kanter would be banned from Wintrust Arena.
The decision has not gone down well with basketball pundit Jon Root.
Jon Root Hits Out at the Chicago Sky Over Enes Kanter Ban
ESPN’s Kareem Copeland reported the team’s decision to ban Kanter from Wintrust Arena, sharing Sky owner Michael J. Alter’s reasoning behind the decision.
“[Kanter Freedom] has demonstrated to us unequivocally that he has the potential to be a threat,” Alter said. “That he is not able to control himself to the extent where we can be comfortable that he may [not] step towards the court again and towards the players.”
Jon Root reacted to the decision on X with a series of tweets, criticizing the Sky.
“The Chicago Sky has banned Enes Kanter Freedom from their arena because ‘He has demonstrated to us, unequivocally, that he has the potential to be a threat.’ What a joke,” he wrote.
The Chicago Sky has banned Enes Kanter Freedom from their arena because “He has demonstrated to us, unequivocally, that he has the potential to be a threat.”
What a joke. pic.twitter.com/xZWxNWFwAz
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) August 25, 2026
Root also directed criticism at the WNBA for its handling of fans on the other side of the transgender athlete debate.
“A man wearing a shirt that defines a woman is considered a ‘threat’ & a mom and daughter wearing XX-XY shirts are considered ‘offensive’ by the WNBA…This league is a joke,” he said.
A man wearing a shirt that defines a woman is considered a “threat” & a mom and daughter wearing XX-XY shirts are considered “offensive” by the WNBA…
This league is a joke. pic.twitter.com/VB8jpEhkcK
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) August 25, 2026
Another message from Root compared Spike Lee’s attire at the NBA All-Star game to Kanter’s t-shirt from his appearance at Sunday’s game.
“Spike Lee showed up to the NBA All-Star Game in pro-Palestine attire to protest a player for simply being Israeli,” he wrote. “Enes Kanter Freedom showed up to a WNBA game with a shirt that defined what a woman is. One of them is banned from an arena & considered a ‘threat.’”
While Kanter is now banned from Wintrust Arena, he still insisted on attending the Indiana Fever’s playoff games. The former Boston Celtics center revealed his eagerness to watch Caitlin Clark and co. make a deep run in the playoffs.
“I am so excited for the playoffs,” Kanter said. “I cannot wait to go to every playoff game that the Indiana Fever plays. It’s going to be fun.”
From declaring for the draft to getting into an altercation with a WNBA player, he has remained a polarizing figure in the cultural debate surrounding the W.
