Enes Kanter Freedom files lawsuit against Sky following ejection, ban after altercation with Natasha Cloud
Enes Kanter Freedom is taking legal action against the Chicago Sky following his ejection from Wintrust Arena following an altercation with guard Natasha Cloud during a game against the Indiana Fever.
Freedom filed his federal complaint in U.S. District Court, where he said he was “peacefully exercising my First Amendment rights” by sitting near the baseline and wearing a T-shirt that read, “WOMAN noun, adult human female.” Freedom was banned indefinitely from Wintrust Arena by the Sky, and he said he may be pursuing legal action because of it.
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Turkish-American former basketball player and human rights activist Enes Kanter Freedom is seen prior to a game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 23, 2026. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
Freedom’s lawsuit names Chicago Women’s Basketball Operations, LLC, which operates the Sky, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA), which financed and built Wintrust Arena as a public project, and the City of Chicago as defendants, claiming they “combined and conspired, and acted jointly to execute their conspiracy, to discriminate against Plaintiff based on Plaintiff’s verbal and demonstrable expression of viewpoint and gender identity when they wrongfully ejected Plaintiff from a recent WNBA game.”
“Defendants compounded and exacerbated Plaintiff’s injuries when they subsequently banned Plaintiff indefinitely from attendance,” the lawsuit obtained by OutKick read.
The lawsuit adds that Freedom “believes deeply and advocates forcefully that the integrity of women-only sports must be protected, and he has been explicit in many public appearances on this point.”
The suit also reiterates a point Freedom has made on numerous occasions, that he self-identifies as a player who is eligible to participate in the WNBA “because such declaration is all that is required by WNBA’s rules.” Freedom has received backlash for his stance, which was also mentioned in the lawsuit.
“Plaintiff has been the target of a torrent of hateful attacks and discriminatory actions based on Plaintiff’s viewpoint and gender identity,” the lawsuit read.
The Sky and MPEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment by OutKick regarding Kanter’s lawsuit. The City of Chicago doesn’t comment on pending litigation, an official said.
This is a developing story. More to come.
