The WNBA finds itself in the middle of another mess. Sunday night’s incident at Wintrust Arena between former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom and outspoken Chicago Sky veteran Natasha Cloud has snatched the headlines from Caitlin Clark’s 37-point explosion, her fifth game of 30 or more points and 10 or more assists in her illustrious career.
With the current manufactured controversy about transgender athletes that lurks in the background of WNBA games waiting to rear its head and totally hijack any thought of a pure basketball narrative, Freedom, who said that he now identifies as a woman and declared eligibility for the WNBA draft, sat courtside with a provocative T-shirt that affirms his side in debate about trans athletes in sports and his supporting Sophie Cunningham’s stance on protecting “young girls.”
This stance definitely has caused a divide between WNBA players and coaches who support trans inclusivity, such as Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve, who addressed Cunningham face to face prior to a game about her remarks.
Fans React To Natasha Cloud Confronting NBA Player Enes Kanter Freedom
But during the third quarter of the Fever’s emphatic win, after Cloud made a layup, she started to say something toward the baseline where Freedom was sitting. Cloud’s Sky teammates and team personnel had to hold her back and Freedom was seen on the broadcast getting up out of his seat and walking toward Cloud with a smirk on his face and arms outstretched.
Of course, fan reaction erupted after the incident that definitely marred a game that elevated Caitlin Clark in her push for the MVP.
“U gotta give props to Kanter bc he’s giving wnba more publicity then they have had in a while lol,” one fan said.
“Hopefully, he has someone in his life that cares about him enough to tell him at this point he’s making a total jackass out of himself, and ruining his legacy,” a user commented on X.
“We are living in a South Park episode,” a netizen quipped.
Some fans couldn’t understand the backlash against Kanter.
“isn’t he on her side tho. the point of him doing this is to highlight how ridiculous it is to potentially allow biological men to play in the W,” one fan said on X.
“WE love ENES and SOPHIE! The USA and the world is on your side! Natasha Cloud is a pathetic woke big mouth. Shut the F up. Nobody cares about your anti-American LEFTIST opinions,” a netizen commented.
“Why did Natasha go to him? She seems like she doesn’t know how to use her brain and she cant control herself. Enes was in full control here and Cloud didn’t know how to handle it,” another netizen surmised.
Natasha Cloud Has Long Been An Outspoken WNBA Voice
Cloud is known for being one of the more outspoken women in the WNBA, never afraid to give her stance on social issues, political discussions or any form of oppression she might see happening in the world or within the game.
Cloud took to Threads following the incident with Enes Kanter last night:
“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.”
Her voice has always been valued among the players, and even before she decided to confront Kanter during the third quarter of the game after she hit a layup, she went at a fan who threw a sex toy on the court the previous game.
“On most of these occasions, it’s men. And I want you to know that the gayest thing that you can do is go to sex shop, buy a dildo, come to a women’s game to throw the dildo on the court,” Cloud said in the postgame media session.
“I’m a firm believer in anyone who has so much problem with a certain marginalized group just come out and say you’re a part of this marginalized group,” Cloud said. “The men that are throwing them it also shows that you are weak and it shows a lot about how y’all feel about women. So keep throwing them if you keep wanting to tell us you’re gay. Just come out … be yourself.”
Kanter continues to show up at arenas and support Texas groups who rally in Dallas and other WNBA cities over Sophie Cunningham’s “protect girls in sports” stance.
Freedom was booed by the crowd as he was removed by security, escorted from the arena while holding up his shirt that read: “WOMAN noun. adult human female.” Further video in the lobby of the arena shows Freedom arguing with the Chicago Police Department, and saying: “I’m supporting women, and that is the reason they are kicking me out; it is unacceptable.”
Freedom, who played 11 seasons in the NBA, posted several times to social media Sunday.
“I just got kicked out of a @WNBA game for supporting WOMEN!” he wrote on X. “Let that sink in, AMERICA!”
And in a second post following his ejection from the arena, as he was being filmed by a friend, he wrote, “It’s always women hating on other women.”
Did Natasha Cloud Stand On Business Or Bring Unnecessary Negative Attention To WNBA By Confronting Enes Kanter?
The WNBA is getting more bad publicity, but it hasn’t hurt league engagement. If anything, people are attaching themselves to this new issue and in the process raising the visibility of the WNBA. It’s just taking a lot of attention from the game and the players in the game.
When Natasha Cloud decided to acknowledge Kanter in an aggressive manner and change the entire focus of the game and tone of the arena, that’s a personal decision. That’s not her standing for the underserved or oppressed. Kanter bought a ticket and has a right to express himself. He wasn’t insulting anyone. You might not agree with his tactics, but Cloud could have easily ignored him. Instead, it was a huge scene, with security leading him out the arena.
Aggression wasn’t called for in this instance, but that’s what she chose to do. Thus, stealing all of the shine from the great performances on the court and dragging the league back into this never-ending debate about an issue that’s just not that high on the list of the league’s priorities right now. The WNBA a league known for expression and defiance of the status quo, silencing a peaceful observer. Sounds a bit backward.
