Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud had to be held back by security after storming over to confront former NBA star Enes Kanter Freedom during a courtside clash at Wintrust Arena on Sunday night, before posting a message of support for the transgender community the following day.
The confrontation happened in the second half of the Indiana Fever's game against the Chicago Sky, with Freedom sitting courtside after declaring he wants to enter the WNBA Draft in response to those in the league who believe transgender athletes should be allowed to play against women.
In a viral clip of the incident, Cloud and Freedom could be seen shouting at each other before the 6-foot-10 former New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder centre stood up and held his arms out, appearing to welcome the confrontation. Security quickly stepped in and pulled Cloud away, and she returned to the game while Freedom was escorted out of the arena by staff.
Cloud's message of support
On Monday, once the incident had settled, Cloud addressed the situation on social media by restating her support for transgender people. "To every trans kid/person," she wrote, "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."
Freedom's version of events
Freedom later gave his own account of what triggered the clash, telling OutKick that Sophie Cunningham had hit a three-pointer and he put his hands up to celebrate. "Literally, a couple [of] possessions later, Natasha came back and started screaming and yelling and said, 'She's not gonna sleep with you.'"
"And I was like, 'I am not trying to sleep with her. I'm just here to protect women and support her,'" he continued. "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.'"
He said Cloud had "started to use some very heavy language" and sworn in front of children at the game. "I just cannot believe that she was just cussing and using those F-bombs in front of all these kids," Freedom said. "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."
Writing on X after he was removed from the arena, Freedom said: "I just got kicked out of a @WNBA game for supporting WOMEN! Let that sink in, AMERICA!" He also wrote: "It's always women hating on other women." In a separate video, he was seen arguing with security as he was escorted away from his seat, telling them: "This is unacceptable."
Confronted by fans outside the arena
Freedom, who spent more than a decade in the NBA with teams including the Utah Jazz, the New York Knicks and the Oklahoma City Thunder, recently said he wants to play alongside stars such as Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark.
Earlier on Sunday, he was confronted by furious fans as he arrived at Wintrust Arena for the Fever-Sky game wearing a T-shirt bearing a definition of the word "woman": "Woman. Noun. Adult human female," with the words "woman" and "female" highlighted in red.
Not everyone gave him a warm welcome. One fan aimed a slur at the 34-year-old and told him to leave Chicago, while another shouted an obscenity at him and a third made an obscene gesture in his face as he stood flanked by police outside the arena. "We are getting attacked before the @WNBA game in Chicago," Freedom posted alongside a video of the incident. Other fans in Chicago greeted him with cheers and high-fives.
Wider protests over transgender athletes
The clash is the latest flashpoint in a series of protests and counter-protests at WNBA games in recent weeks, which began after Cunningham said she wanted to "protect young girls" from "biological men."
On Monday night, Freedom doubled down on his intention to join the WNBA, after reports emerged that "terrified" league officials had ruled him ineligible for the 2027 draft. Fellow former NBA player Royce White, who has also declared for the draft, was reported to have been ruled ineligible too.
Responding to the reports, Freedom said: "Listen, Article 13 Section 1 says if you identify as a woman, then you are allowed to play! I identify as a woman, so yes, I can play." He added: "They're terrified because I might actually get drafted and play against their big men. I'm probably going to drop 60 points... I'm going to try to beat Wilt Chamberlain's record [of 100 points in a single game]. I might go over 100 points for sure."
What the WNBA's rules say
The WNBA's current collective bargaining agreement states that "only players who are women are eligible to play," but it does not give a specific definition of a woman. A league representative told Front Office Sports that the WNBA is "not going to give oxygen to efforts designed to mock the league or use this topic to demean and marginalize others."
When it was put to Freedom that he would never be allowed to play in the WNBA, he replied: "Why not? That's the rules. I'm just following the rules. If they ever come out and say: 'Okay, we're changing the rules,' I respect their decision, I will follow the rules. But right now, if you identify as a woman, you're allowed to play. And I am identifying as a woman and I should be allowed to play."
