Former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom was thrown out of a WNBA game after confronting a Chicago Sky player as they played against Sophie “MAGA Barbie” Cunningham’s team, the Indiana Fever.
Freedom, 34, was ejected from Sunday’s game after yelling at Sky guard Natasha Cloud while wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the words, “WOMAN. Noun. Adult human female.”
Freedom even stepped onto the court with his arms out as Cloud approached him after she scored in the third quarter, before security and a handful of Sky players stepped in to intervene.
Freedom then tugged on his “woman” T-shirt while being escorted out of Chicago’s Wintrust Arena by security as the crowd jeered.
The incident occurred after both Freedom and Cunningham had ignited a culture war over whether transgender women should be allowed to compete in the WNBA.
Freedom, an outspoken human rights activist who played 11 years in the NBA, has claimed he should be eligible for the WNBA draft because he now identifies as a woman.
Fever guard Cunningham, 29, who reportedly earned the nickname “MAGA Barbie” in college because of her conservative views, told ESPN in July that she wants to ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports in order to “protect young girls in the locker room.” No transgender basketball player has ever competed in the WNBA.
After being thrown out of the game between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever, Freedom posted on social media: “I just got kicked out of a WNBA game for supporting WOMEN! Let that sink in, AMERICA.”
Freedom also shared a photo of himself outside a women’s bathroom with the caption: “It’s halftime and I need to use the restroom….Rules are rules WNBA.”
Freedom was recorded arguing with security in the landing area of Wintrust Arena after he was escorted out, saying it was “unacceptable” that he was removed for supporting women.
Sky coach Tyler Marsh condemned the disruption Freedom caused at Sunday’s game. “If you come to a game, you should probably come to enjoy the basketball. That seems pretty simple to me,” he said, via ESPN.
Marsh also said he assured Cloud, who started yelling and pointing at Freedom as she approached him during the heated exchange, that she was not a distraction for the team.
“I told her that we all embrace her as someone that protects our team and protects people that need to be protected,” Marsh said. “So, Tash is always going to stand on that, and we stand for Tash.”
The Daily Beast has contacted Enes Kanter Freedom for comment.
