Ejected from a courtside seat in the third quarter
Enes Kanter Freedom watched the third quarter of Chicago’s game against Indiana from a courtside seat at Wintrust Arena. He did not watch the fourth. Natasha Cloud began pointing and shouting in his direction as an Indiana timeout started, Kanter Freedom stood up and took a few steps towards the floor with his arms out, and a game official and security staff moved between the two.
Cloud’s teammates pulled her away. The official signalled for the ejection, and Kanter Freedom was walked out of his seat by team and arena security. He was wearing a black T-shirt reading “WOMAN noun. Adult human female.”
Indiana won the game 113-90. Cloud, 34, met team and league security afterwards and did not speak to reporters.
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Two statements, two audiences
Cloud posted on social media later that night, in remarks reported by CBS Sports. “To every trans kid/person, You are apart of MY community & tribe. You belong. You’re loved. You’re seen. You’re perfect as you are. & you will always be protected by me,” she wrote.
Kanter Freedom, who spoke with police officers before leaving the arena, posted his own version on X: “I just got kicked out of a @WNBA game for supporting WOMEN! Let that sink in, America.”
Sky coach Tyler Marsh said Cloud had told him she did not want to become a distraction. “I told her she wasn’t,” Marsh said. “I told her we all embrace her as someone who protects our team and people who need to be protected.” He added a line aimed at spectators: “If you come to a game, you should probably come to enjoy the basketball. I think these players deserve that and have earned that.”
The background the league has not settled
Kanter Freedom, 34, spent 11 NBA seasons with five franchises between 2011-12 and 2021-22, averaging 11.2 points and 7.8 rebounds in 21.5 minutes across 748 regular-season games. He has since become a frequent commentator on social and political questions, including the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sport.
The WNBA has no public policy on transgender participation and has never had a known transgender player. The collective bargaining agreement signed in March states that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” Kanter Freedom and former NBA player Royce White have both said they consider themselves eligible for the 2027 WNBA Draft, and both claim to now identify as women, according to media reports.
Cloud is in her 11th WNBA season and her first with Chicago, after spells in Washington, Phoenix and New York. She came into Sunday averaging 11.4 points and 5.0 assists across 36 games.
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