Natasha Cloud called Enes Kanter Freedom an “irrelevant person” Saturday in her first public comments since their courtside confrontation last Sunday led to his ejection and ban from Chicago Sky home games.
“I won’t be talking about anything that happened with an irrelevant person,” Cloud told reporters Saturday. “What I will focus on is what actually affects women and children.”
“I will talk about real issues that face women, and it’s not our trans human beings,” she continued. “It’s not our drag queens. It’s not our gay community. There is a certain demographic of people that you can generally search; it’s a simple Google search of what is the greatest threat to women and children in 2026 in the United States of America, and it’s not going to be trans people.”
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The confrontation occurred late in the third quarter of the Sky’s loss to the Indiana Fever on Aug. 23. Freedom sat courtside wearing a shirt that defined a woman as an “adult human female.” He had also recently announced plans to seek eligibility for the 2027 WNBA Draft as part of his protest against the league’s publicly available eligibility language.
Freedom said he initially raised his hands to celebrate a shot by Fever guard Sophie Cunningham. He alleged that Cloud later turned toward him and said, “She’s not going to sleep with you.” Freedom said the two exchanged words before Cloud approached him, yelled and pointed in his direction.
Video shows Freedom stand, extend his arms and step toward the playing surface as security intervened. The Sky said arena security, NBA Security and Chicago police considered him a potential threat. Freedom maintained that he never intended to enter the court and had already taken his final step.
Sky principal owner Michael Alter announced two days later that Freedom was banned from future team games at Wintrust Arena unless he could demonstrate that he would follow the organization’s rules without presenting a potential threat.
Cloud praised Alter, general manager Jeff Pagliocca and coach Tyler Marsh for their handling of the incident.
“We’re asking for protection, and that’s what protection looks like from a man,” Cloud said. “We can’t not allow him in the arena before the game, but after the game we can bring solutions to the table that best benefit putting our players first and protecting our players. Jeff, Tyler and Michael have done a good job of that. I hope the WNBA follows their lead.”
The WNBA Fan Code of Conduct permits teams to eject spectators, revoke tickets and prevent individuals from attending future games. It also states that a guest who attempts to enter the court can be immediately removed.
Asked why the WNBA continues to experience heightened controversies, she answered with one word: “Men.”
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Alter has not identified a formal reinstatement process for Freedom. He said Freedom must prove that he understands his conduct was unacceptable and will not repeat it, but declined to give him a “roadmap” for having the ban lifted.
Cloud said Saturday that the league’s repeated cultural and political distractions stem from men.
“The men now that are like, ‘Oh, we need to protect the WNBA,’ y’all were the same ones saying we shouldn’t be paid,” Cloud continued. “Y’all were the same ones saying we shouldn’t have been invested in, saying we’re a joke, the same ones that don’t respect Black women. So, if you’re going to protect women, that means all women. That includes Black women, trans women and the list goes on.”
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Cloud scored 14 points earlier Saturday as the Sky lost to the Liberty, 85-66.
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