RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 10 sourcesEXCLUSIVE: Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom said Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud made a vulgar remark toward him and repeatedly cursed before security removed him from Sunday night’s game against the Indiana Fever.
Freedom, who was sitting near the baseline at Wintrust Arena, said the confrontation began after he celebrated a 3-pointer by Fever guard Sophie Cunningham.
"Sophie Cunningham shot a three, and I put my hands up to celebrate," Freedom said. "Literally, a couple possessions later, Natasha came back and started screaming and yelling and said, ‘She’s not gonna sleep with you.’
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"And I was like, ‘I am not trying to sleep with her. I’m just here to protect women and support her.’ And then, obviously, after that she started yapping, and she started to walk towards me, and literally I just got up, and then I was like, ‘I’m just here to protect women, and that’s all.’"
Video of the incident showed Cloud walking toward Freedom, yelling and pointing at him late in the third quarter. Freedom stood, extended his arms and took a step onto the court as security and Sky players moved between them.
Freedom said Cloud then began using profanity in front of young fans.
"She started to yell. She started to use some very heavy language. She started to actually cuss, and I was very shocked that there were a lot of kids and that there were a lot of teenagers at that game," Freedom said.
"I just cannot believe that she was just cussing and using those F-bombs in front of all these kids. I’m sure she’s loved in Chicago and many kids are idolizing her and stuff, but that’s not how a WNBA athlete should react."
The confrontation came with 1:22 remaining in the third quarter, after Cloud scored inside and celebrated with teammate Aicha Coulibaly. Cloud then turned and approached Freedom, who was wearing a black shirt that read, "WOMAN noun. adult human female."
He said he believes the shirt contributed to Cloud’s reaction.
"I was cheering for my friend Sophie because when she shot that three, I put my hands in the air," Freedom said. "A couple possessions later, she came back and said, ‘She’s not gonna sleep with you.’ And I was shocked. I was like, ‘Listen, I’m not trying to sleep with her. I think she’s awesome. She’s a good friend.’ But I think it has a lot to do with my shirt.
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"I was obviously wearing a shirt explaining what a woman is, and I think that had a lot to do with what she thinks about women. I think it triggered her a lot."
Cloud sent a message to the trans community after the game, in a post on Threads.
"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," Cloud wrote.
OutKick reached out to Cloud's rep for further comment.
She wasn't made available during the team's postgame press conference.
Sky coach Tyler Marsh defended Cloud after the game, telling reporters, "We all embrace her as someone who protects our team and protects people who need to be protected."
Freedom said security approached him and ordered him to leave without providing an explanation.
"I was like, ‘Can you please tell me why I need to leave?’ They said, ‘Look, you just need to leave,’" Freedom said. "They pretty much pushed me to leave the gym."
However, Freedom insists the words exchanged with Cloud and had nothing to do with the issue of transgender people or his plans to compete in the WNBA.
"Definitely not," Freedom said of the interaction being related at all to those issues.
Footage showed arena staff touching Freedom and sharing intense words with him as he was being escorted out. Freedom said he asked an arena employee not to touch him as he was escorted away from the court.
"I told her, ‘First of all, please don’t touch me because I didn’t do anything wrong. I can get myself out of the game,’" he said. "And the second, I was like, ‘Do you guys realize that you guys are only kicking me out of this game because I support women and I try to protect women?’"
Freedom said security again declined to give him a reason for his removal.
"They were like, ‘Listen, we can’t give you any reason right now. Just leave, please,’" he said. "I played 11 years of basketball in the NBA, and I know how tough the security’s job can get. So I didn’t want to make their job even tougher."
OutKick reached out to the Sky and Wintrust Arena for comment.
The Sky had advanced notice that Freedom would be coming to the game, according to him. He said his manager had notified Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca before the game that he planned to attend.
"My manager texted the GM of the Chicago Sky ," Freedom said. "We texted him and said, ‘Hey, just so you know, we are coming to the game. We’re not here to cause any kind of drama. We’re not here to cause anything bad. We are just here to watch the game and leave in peace.’ My manager texted the GM, and he said, ‘Enjoy the game.’ That’s it."
Cloud met with team and league security after the game but did not speak to reporters.
The Fever defeated the Sky 113-90. Clark scored 37 points, while Kelsey Mitchell added 30.
Freedom attended a rally in support of Cunningham outside the arena before the game. Cunningham has faced protests and counterprotests since saying she opposes transgender girls and women competing in female sports divisions.
Freedom announced earlier this month that he intends to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft. He has said he is using the league’s rules to challenge the WNBA to clarify its eligibility standards.
The WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement states that "only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA," but it does not publicly define the term or establish specific eligibility requirements for transgender athletes. No transgen...
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