Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom was removed from Wintrust Arena during Sunday’s Chicago Sky vs. Indiana Fever game after a verbal confrontation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud.
The WNBA has not announced plans to prevent Kanter Freedom from attending future games, according to ABC7 Chicago and ESPN.
Kanter Freedom was sitting courtside wearing a shirt that read, “WOMAN noun. adult human female.”
Sources told ESPN that Kanter Freedom and fellow former NBA player Royce White are not eligible to play in the WNBA after both publicly declared themselves women and eligible for the draft.
The WNBA’s current collective bargaining agreement states that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.”
The league reportedly continues to research and review eligibility issues, but sources said no rule changes are expected in the near future.
Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom’s removal from Wintrust Arena does not currently mean he has been banned from returning, while the WNBA has reportedly made its position clear on his attempt to become eligible to play in the league.
Kanter Freedom was escorted out of Sunday’s Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever matchup following a heated exchange with Sky point guard Natasha Cloud. According to ABC7 Chicago and ESPN, Kanter Freedom was sitting courtside wearing a black T-shirt that read, “WOMAN noun. adult human female.”
During a timeout late in the third quarter, Cloud approached Kanter Freedom and shouted toward him. Kanter Freedom stood up and moved toward the court before security intervened and eventually directed him out of the arena.
One source told ESPN that Kanter Freedom had been making comments toward Cloud during the game, while another fan seated nearby claimed he had only been cheering.
Following the incident, Kanter Freedom took to social media, writing that he had been kicked out of a WNBA game “for supporting WOMEN.”
But there are two separate questions surrounding what happens next.
First, there has been no announced ban preventing Kanter Freedom from attending future WNBA games at Wintrust Arena. Second, his recent declaration that he is a woman and eligible for the WNBA Draft does not make him eligible to play in the league, according to multiple sources cited by ESPN.
Former NBA player Royce White, who made a similar declaration, is also reportedly ineligible.
The WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement states that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” ESPN reports that the agreement does not provide a further definition of “woman,” while the league does not currently have a publicly available policy specifically governing the eligibility of transgender or intersex athletes.
For now, league sources say there are no circumstances requiring the WNBA to formally review its eligibility standards, though the issue will continue to be researched. No changes to the league’s rules are reportedly expected in the near future.
