Enes Kanter Freedom has acknowledged his facet of the story about what went down with Natasha Cloud inside Wintrust Arena on Sunday night time.
The former NBA participant was ejected from the Sky-Fever sport after a heated interplay with the Sky guard, who Freedom claimed said he was attempting to “sleep with” Indiana guard Sophie Cunningham.
“I’m a huge fan of basketball. I’m a huge fan of women’s basketball and I was there to watch the game and I was really excited because I’m a huge fan of the Fever. I was literally there to watch the game and then the first half went amazing,” Freedom advised Fox News. “I was having so much enjoyable with my pals and stuff. And then it was towards the finish of the third quarter, Sophie Cunningham shot a three and I put my arms up to have fun.
BREAKING: Enes Kanter Freedom just advised me what occurred with him and Natasha Cloud that led to his ejection.
“Sophie Cunningham shot a three, and I put my hands up to celebrate… Natasha came back and started screaming and yelling and said, ‘She’s not gonna sleep with you.”…
— Jackson Thompson (@JackThompsonFOX) August 24, 2026
“Literally a couple of possessions later, Natasha [Cloud] came back and started screaming and yelling and said ‘She’s not going to sleep with you.’ And I was like ‘I’m not trying to sleep with her. I’m just here to protect women and support her.’ And then obviously after that she started yappin’ and she started to walk towards me and litertally I just got up and I was like ‘I’m just here to protect women and that’s all.’”
Freedom went on to say Cloud used “very heavy language” which he was “shocked” by contemplating the younger followers in the crowd.
“I just cannot believe that she was just cussing and using those f-bombs in front of all these and that is not — I mean, I’m sure she is loved in Chicago and many kids are idiolizing her and stuff but that’s not [how] a WNBA athlete should react,” he said.
Former basketball participant Enes Kanter Freedom and Natasha Cloud of the Chicago Sky yell at one another during the second half of a sport between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena on Sunday, August 23, 2026. Getty Images
Following the altercation, safety eliminated Freedom from the area and the former Celtics participant claimed they did not give him a cause for being kicked out.
“After that, the security guard came and was like ‘Listen, you need to leave.’ I was like ‘Can you please tell me why do I need to leave?’ They said ‘Look, you just need to leave.’ And then they literally — I don’t want to say they dragged me — but like they pretty much pushed me to leave the gym,” he said. “After that I had a conversation with the police officers, which I respect a lot, I was like ‘Listen, I was just there to protect women.’”
Cloud spoke out after the interplay 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,” the former Liberty guard wrote Sunday night time.
Former basketball participant Enes Kanter Freedom and Natasha Cloud of the Chicago Sky yell at one another during the second half. Getty Images
Former basketball participant Enes Kanter Freedom and Natasha Cloud of the Chicago Sky yell at one another during the second half of a sport between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois, on Sunday, August 23, 2026. Getty Images
Sky coach Tyler Marsh also defended his participant following the Fever’s 113-90 win.
“We all embrace her as someone that protects our team, and protects people that need to be protected,” he said. “Tash is always gonna stand on that, and we stand for Tash.”
Prior to the matchup, it was reported by TMZ that Freedom was going to be in attendence in Chicago.
Freedom has thurst himself into the ongiong trangender athlete discourse that has taken over the WNBA within the last month.
Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud argues with former NBA middle Enes Kanter Freedom, proper, during the second half. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
It was first sparked when Cunningham said she needs to “protect young girls” from “biological men” in sports activities in an ESPN function.
Following that, Freedom declared himself for 2027 WNBA Draft by posting a video of him signing his title to a doc that asks the WNBA to settle for his “decision to enter the player pool for the 2027 WNBA Draft.”
Last week, he examined the league’s insurance policies further by claiming he had spoken to eight gamers about coming into the 2027 draft if the WNBA does not change or further make clear its eligibility requirements.
“The NBA G League pays players $45,000 a year, while the WNBA top players earn $1.4 million,” he said in a video. “Those men could earn an extra $1,355,000 a year by just identifying as women. Rules are rules.”
Throughout the ongoing discourse, the league had an anti-hate job power assembly this month and discovered “no immediate eligibility matters affecting” the league.
“We strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others,” a spokesperson for the league said.