Former NBA center Enes Kanter was ejected from the Indiana Fever vs Chicago Sky game in the third quarter on Sunday night. Kanter was wearing a controversial shirt in support of women and got into a yelling altercation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud.
Kanter has said he was celebrating a three-point basket by Fever guard Caitlin Clark when, during a time-out in the third quarter, Cloud began yelling and advanced towards Freedom, who was sitting courtside. He responded by raising his arms out and stepping towards the court, escalating the situation. Both continued the altercation as teammates held Cloud back and Kanter was restrained by security. He was then escorted out of the arena, while booed by the Chicago crowd.
Certainly, this was escalated by Kanter’s claims about transgender people playing in the WNBA, as well as his claims to enter the WNBA draft in 2027 unless the league institutes new policies about who exactly is welcome to join the WNBA. Kanter has been very outspoken of late regarding transgender athletes and the WNBA in general, further adding fuel to the fire about this ongoing issue.
The WNBA bargaining agreement states: “Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” There are no other definitions or references to trans people, nor what defines a woman. Popular online personalities such as Bill Simmons have been calling on WNBA Commissioner Kathy Engelbert to take a stance on this issue, even going as far as to call for her to be fired. So far, there has not been a resolution.
Cloud responded to the media after the game Sunday night on Threads, saying that transgender people “will always be protected by me.” Kanter has not backed down from what happened, and has only further stood by his stance and beliefs. He also took to social media on Sunday night and posted on X:
I just got kicked out of a @WNBA game for supporting WOMEN!
Let that sink in, AMERICA! 🇺🇸
— Enes Kanter FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) August 24, 2026
Whatever comes out of further escalation and ongoing discussion about trans people in the WNBA, it does not appear that the issue will be going away any time soon.
About Dave Kelsey
Contributing author to The Comeback.