A tense courtside confrontation broke out Sunday night during the Indiana Fever’s matchup with the Chicago Sky, when WNBA guard Natasha Cloud had to be restrained after approaching former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom, who has claimed he declared for the WNBA Draft.
The incident unfolded in the second half at Wintrust Arena, where Freedom’s courtside presence had already drawn controversy. Cloud, a standout for the Sky, moved toward him and the exchange quickly escalated into a heated argument.
In a viral clip of the incident, the pair could be seen shouting at each other before Freedom stood up and held his arms out, as if he was welcoming the mid-game confrontation from Cloud, who was quickly stopped in her tracks by security.
Security personnel and teammates stepped in to separate Cloud from the situation, pulling her away before she returned to the game. Freedom, meanwhile, was later seen being escorted from the arena by staff.
It was not immediately clear what was said between Cloud and Freedom before security intervened. Moments later, however, Freedom addressed the episode on social media.
Posting on X, he wrote: “I just got kicked out of a @WNBA game for supporting WOMEN! Let that sink in, AMERICA!”
WNBA player Natasha Cloud was restrained by security after confronting Enes Kanter Freedom, who has said he declared for the WNBA Draft, during Sunday night’s game
The content of the exchange between Cloud and Freedom remains unclear after security moved in
Freedom also posted: “It’s always women hating on other women.”
Kanter Freedom, who is 6-foot-10 and spent more than a decade in the NBA, recently sent shockwaves through women’s basketball after revealing he wants to play alongside Caitlin Clark and Co.
Earlier in the night, Freedom was confronted by furious fans as he arrived at the Wintrust Arena for the Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky clash.
He wore a provocative t-shirt that included a definition of the word woman. ‘Woman. Noun,’ it read. ‘Adult human female.’ The words woman and female were highlighted in red. And he was not given a warm welcome by everyone, with one fan calling the 34-year-old a ‘b**** a** n****’ and telling him to ‘get [his] b**** a** out of Chicago.’
Another said ‘f*** you b****,’ while a third held up their middle finger in the face of Kanter Freedom, who was flanked by police outside the arena. ‘We are getting attacked before the @WNBA game in Chicago,’ he posted alongside a video of the incident.
But the former Utah Jazz and New York Knicks star was greeted by cheers and high-fives by other fans in Chicago.
There have been regular protests and counter protests at WNBA games in recent weeks, after Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham sparked controversy by claiming she wants to ‘protect young girls’ from ‘biological men.’
On Sunday in Chicago, there was a ‘save women’s sports party’ in support of Cunningham and Kanter Freedom stopped by to greet fans.
After making it inside Wintrust Arena, Kanter Freedom was pictured courtside as Cunningham and Clark faced a rematch with the Sky and DiJonai Carrington.
Freedom appeared to welcome the confrontation from Sky star Cloud during the game
The pair could be seen yelling at each other mid-game at the Wintrust Arena on Sunday night
Earlier this month, Cunningham slammed Carrington for ‘playing’ the race ‘card’ after the Chicago Sky star appeared to suggest her rival benefited from ‘white privilege’ during a shocking fracas.
Carrington was ejected from the clash between the Sky and the Indiana Fever after her nasty foul left Cunningham bloodied and on the floor. Toward the end of the first quarter, Cunningham drove towards the basket, only to be struck in the face by Carrington’s arm.
The Sky star was assessed a flagrant 2 and sent to the locker room, with both Cunningham and her teammate Caitlin Clark seen waving as Carrington headed off the court.
Minutes later, Carrington posted on social media ‘WHITE PRIVILEGE @indianafever,’ sparking yet another WNBA scandal.
Meanwhile, Sky star Cloud made headlines of her own recently after launching a furious verbal tirade regarding the sex-toy-throwing incidents of late.
Speaking to reporters after Chicago’s victory over the Golden State Valkyries on Friday, Cloud did not hold back when asked about the recurring fan behavior.
‘It’s lame as f***; Sorry, mama,’ the 34-year-old veteran said.
‘And I just, man, and like, in most of these occasions, it’s men. And I want you to know that is the gayest thing that you can do is to go to a store, a sex shop, buy a d****, come to a women’s game to throw the d**** on the court.
Earlier in the night, Freedom was confronted by fans as he arrived at the Fever-Sky clash
‘That is the gayest s*** that I’ve ever heard. So I’m a firm believer in anyone that has so much problem with a certain marginalized group, just come out and say that you’re a part of our marginalized group because that hate is unwarranted. It’s not factual.
‘And it says more about the internal struggles of that individual than it ever will say about the collective group.’
Cloud went on to call the perpetrators ‘extremely weak,’ stating that their actions fail to rattle the players on the court and instead reflect poorly on the fans responsible.
‘Y’all lame as s*** to us. Y’all gay to us and we see it,’ Cloud continued. ‘So keep throwing them if you just want to keep telling us you’re gay. You can come out. You’ll be happier. You’ll be nicer to people. You’ll be happier in your everyday life. You don’t need to go to therapy or none of that s***. Just be yourself.’
She concluded her postgame comments by questioning how the culprits explain the purchases on their financial records.
‘Y’all weird,’ she added. ‘Like it says d**** on their credit card. Like they have to go through their financial advisor and be like, ‘What’s this green d****? You good, Chad? You good, Richard? Are you good, Paul?’ Because it also is a certain demographic. Y’all cool? Are y’all cool? And don’t be running.’
