The Chicago Sky have issued a ban preventing former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom from attending their home games following his ejection from a game against the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena. Team owner Michael Alter announced the decision during a rare news conference, stating that the 6-foot-10, 250-pound former player is barred from the arena unless he can demonstrate that he can follow team rules without posing a potential threat.
Chicago Sky Ban Enes Kanter Freedom Following Arena Incident
The ejection stemmed from an altercation late in the third quarter of Sunday’s matchup. Freedom was seated along the baseline wearing a black shirt bearing the text WOMAN noun. adult human female.
With 1:22 remaining in the third period and the Fever calling a timeout following an inside score by guard Natasha Cloud, Cloud shared a chest bump with teammate Aicha Coulibaly before walking directly toward Freedom. Cloud, 34, yelled and pointed at Freedom, who is also 34. Video footage and observations showed a standing Freedom holding his arms out and stepping onto the court as security personnel and several Sky players intervened.
Confrontation and Arena Departure
Alter characterized the incident as an intentional disruption, telling reporters, It was pretty clear to us that his purpose of coming here was trying to be provocative and just see how much attention he could get and stir up and create.
As security escorted him away, Freedom stopped near the basket to plead his case, spun around while holding out his shirt to encourage crowd reaction, and subsequently spoke with a group of police officers near the front lobby before leaving the arena.
Draft Eligibility and League Context
The incident unfolds amid broader discussions surrounding league participation rules. Freedom and another former NBA player, Royce White, have declared for the WNBA draft while stating they identify as women. However, a person familiar with the matter indicated that they are not eligible, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the situation.
While the WNBA has faced recent debates regarding whether transgender women—individuals assigned male at birth who transition to align with their gender identity—should be permitted to play, the league has never featured such a player. The WNBA collective bargaining agreement restricts participation to women, though it lacks more specific language concerning gender identity or sex assigned at birth.
Additional Arena Security Review
During the same news conference, Alter addressed a separate security breach from a 73-70 victory over Golden State, during which multiple sex toys were thrown onto the court. Alter stated that the organization has reviewed the incident and identified the individuals involved through security footage. We know who the people are,
Alter said. We saw them, but we don’t have their names yet. We’re trying to get their names. We know how they exited, so we’re going to address that to make that more difficult.
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