Enes Kanter Freedom’s WNBA stunt draws huge TV viewing figures as millions watched his furious clash with Natasha Cloud
The re-match of the Chicago Sky-Indiana Fever rivalry brought in big numbers as the on-court confrontation between Enes Kanter Freedom and Natasha Cloud was seen by millions.
Last Sunday’s contest was a highly anticipated matchup after a game earlier in August where Sky guard DiJonai Carrington committed a hard foul on Indiana’s Sophie Cunningham, leading to a national frenzy.
While the Cunningham-Carrington re-match was not as controversial this time, the appearance of Kanter Freedom – a former NBA player trying to enter the WNBA – drew ire from players.
Eventually, the situation bubbled over when Cloud confronted the former NBA player and got into an argument with him before Freedom was kicked out of the arena.
All this played out on the NBC airwaves, with the company logging a new WNBA record for viewers.
The broadcaster reported that the game averaged 3.31million viewers and peaked at 3.82m, making it the most-watched regular season WNBA game since the league’s first opening weekend back in 1997.
The Chicago Sky-Indiana Fever game from Sunday drew over 3.3million viewers
The game became controversial when Enes Kanter Freedom was ejected after stepping onto the court as he got into an argument with Sky guard Natasha Cloud
Kanter Freedom was subsequently ejected and later banned from Wintrust Arena
It may be the last time for a while that Kanter Freedom makes an appearance anywhere near a WNBA arena after the Sky officially banned him from Wintrust Arena following his antagonistic display that led to his ejection when he stepped onto the court.
The former Knicks star has made himself the center of the league’s trans athlete debate by ‘identifying’ as a woman solely for the purpose of entering the 2027 WNBA Draft.
A league source recently said it is ‘not going to give oxygen to efforts designed to mock the league or use this topic to demean and marginalize others’, calling it a ‘publicity stunt’, per Front Office Sports.
Kanter Freedom arrived to the game wearing a provocative t-shirt printed with a definition of the word woman: ‘Woman. Noun, Adult human female.’
Mid-game, Cloud stormed over to the former NBA player and a furious argument broke out between the two. Teammates held Cloud back from progressing further, while Kanter Freedom stepped onto the court.
For this, he was ejected from the arena and will now no longer be permitted to return, with Sky owner Michael Alter stating he showed the ‘potential to be a threat’ during the incident.
‘He has demonstrated to us, unequivocally, that he has the potential to be a threat,’ Alter said, via ESPN.
He added that the only way he will ever be permitted to return is if ‘sometime in the future, he’s able to prove to us that he’s able to abide by our rules without being a potential threat.’
Kanter Freedom was sat courtside after his recent attempts to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft
Alter met with the media to address the situation that occurred, revealing he learned on the day of the game that Kanter would controversially be attending via a text from his agent to GM Jeff Pagliocca.
He was unaware of where he would be seated, and admitted his ‘one regret’ is deciding not to inform his team’s players before the game.
‘It was pretty clear to us that his purpose of coming here was trying to be provocative and just see how much attention he could get,’ Alter added.
He went on to allege that Kanter started the dialogue with Cloud, having spoken to multiple eyewitnesses.
‘They each confirmed that the dialogue between Cloud and Kanter started with Kanter,’ he said.
‘He began to chirp with her sometime in the third quarter. I would characterize it as trash talking, nothing personal. Basketball-related, but enough to get her attention and to engage her, and in my opinion, to try to provoke her.
‘He portrays as this victimless person who did nothing, said nothing. Just wearing a t-shirt … We have five different security authorities that all agreed very quickly to throw him out because he made himself into a threat.’
In a Fox News interview earlier in the day, Kanter Freedom insisted he ‘did not break any kind of rules’ as he responded to the prospect of being banned.
The ex-NBA player wore a provocative t-shirt with a definition of a woman at the game
He alleged Cloud started the confrontation after Sophie Cunningham hit a three-point shot
‘I did not step over the baseline,’ he continued. ‘I simply got up and just opened my arms. So they should not be banning me from any games and I am so excited for the playoffs.
‘I cannot wait to go to every playoff game that Indiana Fever plays. It’s going to be fun because I’m a fan of the game.’
He also accused Cloud of starting the confrontation between them, alleging she initiated the exchange with a comment about Sophie Cunningham.
He told OutKick: ‘Sophie Cunningham shot a three, and I put my hands up to celebrate. Literally, a couple [of] possessions later, Natasha came back and started screaming and yelling and said, “She’s not gonna sleep with you.”
‘And I was like, “I am not trying to sleep with her. I’m just here to protect women and support her.” And then, obviously, after that, she started yapping, and she started to walk towards me, and literally I just got up, and then I was like, “I’m just here to protect women, and that’s all.”
‘She started to yell. She started to use some very heavy language. She started to actually cuss, and I was very shocked that there were a lot of kids and that there were a lot of teenagers at that game.
‘I just cannot believe that she was just cussing and using those F-bombs in front of all these kids. I’m sure she’s loved in Chicago and many kids are idolizing her and stuff, but that’s not how a WNBA athlete should react.’
