ESPN reporter Tim MacMahon took a random shot at Enes Kanter Freedom while breaking down Klay Thompson’s move to the Miami Heat.
MacMahon was breaking down how Thompson fit with the Heat before taking an unprompted jab at Freedom.
“You got to protect (Thompson) defensively now, and instead of being a guy who you can put on the other team’s best perimeter scorer, but the Heat are as desperate for shooting as Enes Kanter is for attention,” MacMahon said on a recent episode of ESPN’s “Brain Windhorst & The Hoop Collective.”
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)
Upon hearing MacMahon’s comment, Windhorst immediately said, “Oh no.”
However, MacMahon continued his analysis without dwelling on his Freedom comment.
“And so like Klay, on a low-cost, relatively low-cost deal does make sense,” MacMahon said.
Freedom has been in the news after he was kicked out of Wintrust Arena on Sunday night after an altercation with Sky player Natasha Cloud during the Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky game.
During the third quarter of the Indiana Fever’s 113-90 win over the Sky at Wintrust Arena, Cloud began barking at Freedom, who was sitting courtside. Freedom then stepped toward the floor and yelled back at Cloud with his arms spread, with security quickly intervening and ushering Freedom out.
Kanter later spoke to OutKick about the incident.
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Tim MacMahon looks on before Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder on June 5, 2025, at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. (Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
“Sophie Cunningham shot a three, and I put my hands up to celebrate,” Freedom said. “Literally, a couple 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.’”
Kanter, who recently declared himself eligible for the 2027 WNBA Draft, attended the game wearing a shirt that defined what a woman is, something the league itself has not yet seemed to answer.
Following the incident with Cloud, Sky owner Michael Alter barred Kanter from the arena.
“He has demonstrated to us, unequivocally, that he has the potential to be a threat,” Alter said, via ESPN.
Sky officials explained to OutKick later Tuesday that Wintrust Arena security, NBA security and Chicago police determined Freedom to be a threat. The determination came when Freedom opened his arms, pointed toward Cloud and stepped toward the court, according to the officials.
WNBA COACH LEAVES IT TO THE LEAGUE TO HANDLE TRANSGENDER ELIGIBILITY ISSUE AMID MOUNTING CRITICISM
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)
Kanter responded to Alter’s comments in a statement to OutKick on Wednesday morning.
“My letter to Commissioner Engelbert makes one point: rules are rules, and the WNBA must enforce them fairly,” Freedom said. “I followed the league’s rules, yet I was ejected without the required warning while Natasha Cloud faced no consequences for berating a spectator — a clear violation of league policy. Being labeled a ‘threat’ will not intimidate me; I will continue standing up for women, fairness, and the principle that no player or organization is above its own rules.”
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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)
Freedom has been relentless in taking on the WNBA and its policies, and it doesn’t appear that will stop anytime soon.
His 11-year NBA career ended after he began leveling criticism at the Chinese government. Kanter Freedom was one of the only NBA players to speak out against Chinese President Xi Jinping and the detention camps holding Uyghur Muslims. He also criticized the NBA for having a partnership with China while the atrocities were occurring.
His criticism of the country has continued since the conclusion of his NBA career in 2022.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos and Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
