Former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom joined Laura Ingraham on “The Ingraham Angle” Monday night to set the record straight following his chaotic courtside ejection from Sunday’s Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky matchup.
Freedom was escorted out of Wintrust Arena late in the third quarter after Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud unleashed an explicit, profanity-laced tirade against him after simply celebrating a 3-pointer by Fever guard Sophie Cunningham.
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, who sat baseline wearing a shirt defining “woman” as an “adult human female,” explained to Ingraham that he attended purely out of love for basketball and to back Cunningham, an athlete who has faced relentless backlash for defending female sports.
ENES KANTER FREEDOM MET WITH HOSTILE WNBA FANS EN ROUTE TO FEVER-SKY MATCHUP
But after Freedom put his hands up following a made bucket, Cloud immediately confronted him with personal insults, mocking and screaming that Cunningham was “not going to sleep” with him.
“I actually loved the game and enjoyed the game,” Freedom told Ingraham.
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. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Former basketball player Enes Kanter Freedom looks on courtside during the first half between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena in Chicago on Aug. 23, 2026. (Getty Images)
“This is my passion… first half I watched the game; it was an amazing time. They put Sophie Cunningham in. I remember around the last three-minute mark she shot the ball and I put my hand in the air to celebrate it. Then Natasha Cloud saw that. Literally the next possession, (Cloud) came back and yelled at me, ‘(Sophie Cunningham) is not going to sleep with you.'”
Freedom admitted the outburst left him stunned.
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“I’m just confused at that point,” Freedom said. “I’m here to protect women and support Sophie Cunningham.”
ICloud escalated the baseline confrontation with a slew of F-bombs in front of a section filled with young children, Kanter noted.
“The next possession, (Cloud) started to yell and cuss at me,” Freedom said.
“I was like, there are so many kids in those stands. There are so many teenagers… a lot of F-bombs. She started to come toward me and I literally got up… I’m like, what did I do? She should be the one to be thrown out of the game.”
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Instead of penalizing Cloud for charging at Enes and dropping vulgarities, arena security escorted Freedom out of the building.
Sophie Cunningham #8 and head coach Stephanie White are shown during a game against the Toronto Tempo at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., on June 16, 2026. (Getty Images)
Enes’ shirt has apparently become kryptonite for a WNBA still unable to answer the most basic question in women’s sports.
What is a woman?
“I’m shocked it’s a controversial topic nowadays, but it is,” Freedom noted.
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“They’re terrified because I might actually get drafted next year.”
Enes’ primetime appearance comes as former NBA pick Royce White warned the WNBA will likely attempt to ban Freedom from future games to protect themselves on a PR level and dodge further scrutiny over its gender policies.
While Fever head coach Stephanie White tried to play media gatekeeper postgame by labeling the chaos a mere “social media thing,” Freedom’s interview proves the opposite.
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