Enes Kanter Freedom attend the Algemeiner 50th Anniversary J100 Gala at The Ziegfeld Ballroom on November 29, 2022
Enes Kanter Freedom.
Enes Kanter Freedom claims his First Amendment rights were violated after being ejected from a Chicago Sky game
The lawsuit names the Chicago Sky, the city of Chicago and Wintrust Arena’s operators as defendants
Kanter Freedom alleges he was removed for peacefully expressing his views and vows to continue defending free speech
Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom has filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Sky and the owners of Wintrust Arena after being ejected from the venue last month, claiming he was “peacefully exercising my First Amendment rights.”
In the 15-page complaint filed Thursday, Sept. 3 in the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division, the former NBA journeyman — who has said he wants to play in the WNBA — lists the city of Chicago and the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, which operates and owns Wintrust Arena, as defendants, as well as the Sky.
The move comes nearly two weeks after Kanter Freedom, 34, was booted from the Sky’s Aug. 23 home loss to the Indiana Fever, when he wore a T-shirt that read, “WOMAN noun. adult human female,” and engaged in a heated exchange with Chicago’s Natasha Cloud.
“I’m taking legal action over my ejection from the @chicagosky game while peacefully exercising my First Amendment rights,” Kanter Freedom wrote Thursday on X, alongside a photo of the first page of his complaint. “My T-shirt did what the whole @WNBA apparently couldn’t: define a woman. No threats. No violence. Just biology. And somehow, that required a security escort.”
Enes Kanter Freedom poses for a photo courtside prior to the game between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena on August 23, 2026
Enes Kanter Freedom poses for a photo courtside prior to the game between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena on August 23, 2026
During the third quarter of the game on Aug. 23, Kanter Freedom was seen yelling at the Sky guard after she began interacting with him.
As Cloud, 34, pointed at Kanter Freedom and advanced toward him along the baseline, she had to be restrained by teammates.
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Enes Kanter Freedom and Natasha Cloud #9 of the Chicago Sky yell at one another during the second half between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena on August 23, 2026
Enes Kanter Freedom and Natasha Cloud #9 of the Chicago Sky yell at one another during the second half between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena on August 23, 2026
Kanter Freedom was then escorted from his courtside seat by security and mocked Cloud with a “talking hands” gesture as he exited.
Two days after the incident, the Chicago Sky banned Kanter Freedom from Wintrust Arena.
“[Kanter Freedom] has demonstrated to us unequivocally that he has the potential to be a threat,” Sky owner Michael Alter told reporters on Aug. 25, per ESPN. “That he is not able to control himself to the extent where we can be comfortable that he may [not] step towards the court again and towards the players.”
Kanter Freedom added Thursday on X that he “will continue to stand for women and defend free speech.”
Former basketball player Enes Kanter Freedom and Natasha Cloud #9 of the Chicago Sky yell at one another during the second half between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena on August 23, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois.
Former basketball player Enes Kanter Freedom and Natasha Cloud #9 of the Chicago Sky yell at one another during the second half between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena on August 23, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois.
“You don’t have to agree with my speech but you don’t get to silence me for it,” he said.
In early August, Kanter Freedom — a self-described “human rights activist” — announced his desire to play in the WNBA amid an ongoing debate about transgender athletes in women’s sports.