Chicago Sky owner Michael Alter banned Enes Kanter Freedom from the team’s home games following an incident at a recent game, citing concerns he was being “provocative” and a “potential threat.”
The ban was announced Tuesday in a news conference. Alter stated Freedom will not be permitted at Wintrust Arena “unless sometime in the future he’s able to prove to us to our satisfaction that he is able to abide by our rules without being a potential threat.”
The incident occurred during Sunday’s game against the Indiana Fever. Freedom, a former NBA center, was sitting along the baseline wearing a shirt that read “WOMAN noun. adult human female” when he was confronted by Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud late in the third quarter. After Cloud scored, she approached Freedom, yelling and pointing at him. Video shows Freedom holding his arms out and taking a step onto the court before security intervened.
Alter explained that the team believed Freedom’s presence was intended to be disruptive. “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,” he said.
Freedom responded to the ban on social media, writing, “I just got kicked out of a WNBA game for supporting WOMEN! Let that sink in, AMERICA!” He and Royce White, another former NBA player, recently declared for the WNBA draft, claiming they identify as women, but a source confirmed they are not eligible.
The WNBA has faced recent discussions regarding the eligibility of transgender women, though no such player has ever participated in the league. The league’s collective bargaining agreement restricts participation to women but lacks specific language regarding gender identity or sex assigned at birth.
Alter also addressed an incident from Friday’s game where sex toys were thrown onto the court during a victory over Golden State, stating the team has identified the individuals involved.
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