Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud got into an extremely heated exchange with former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom on Sunday night during their 113-90 loss to the Indiana Fever.
The incident led to Kanter Freedom being escorted out of the arena.
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Kanter Freedom was sitting on the baseline in Wintrust Arena when he and Cloud suddenly got into it during the third quarter of the contest. Cloud erupted at Kanter Freedom after making a bucket, and had to be held back by several teammates before Kanter Freedom, who started to take steps toward the court, was stopped and walked out of the arena by security.
It’s unclear what directly led up to the exchange.
Kanter was spotted arguing with security and police before being walked out of the arena.
“I told [Cloud] that we all embrace her as someone that protects our team and protects people that needs to be protected,” Sky coach Tyler Marsh said, via journalist Maggie Hendricks.
“And so, Tash is always going to stand on that, and we stand for Tash.”
Kanter Freedom spent 11 seasons in the NBA from 2011-2022. He averaged 11.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while spending time with the Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers and Boston Celtics. He legally changed his last name to “Freedom” in 2021 after becoming a United States citizen.
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Kanter Freedom has thrown himself into the middle of the transgender athletes discussion that has been surrounding the league in recent weeks after Fever guard Sophie Cunningham spoke out about the topic in an ESPN feature. Cunningham supported barring transgender athletes from women’s sports, which has led to anti-trans protests outside of Fever away games.
Kanter Freedom, who was wearing a black T-shirt with a definition for the word “woman” on it, has even claimed he is now a “WNBA prospect” on social media in an apparent attempt to challenge the league on transgender athletes.
There are no transgender players in the WNBA or preparing to enter the WNBA. There are no legitimate eligibility matters facing the league, either. The CBA states that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.”
The WNBA has condemned the “bad-faith” actors who have been dominating this discussion online and using “these topics to demean or marginalize others.” Recent declarations made by Kanter Freedom and at least one other former men’s professional basketball player, who made similar comments, were described as “publicity stunts” that the league won’t “give oxygen to,” a source told Yahoo Sports.
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Cloud had a team-high 16 points and seven assists in the loss for the Sky, which dropped them to 15-22 on the season and snapped a three-game win streak. They were eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday night, too.
Caitlin Clark led the Fever with 37 points after she made a career-high eight 3-pointers in the win. The Fever sit at 25-14 on the year. They are in fifth in the league standings, and have already clinched a playoff spot.
