Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom is suing the Chicago Sky after being ejected during a game against the Indiana Fever last month and receiving an indefinite ban from attending games at Wintrust Arena.
Kanter Freedom filed a lawsuit against the Sky in the U.S District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on Thursday, Sept. 3, according to court documents obtained by Fox News. Kanter Freedom named Chicago Women’s Basketball Operations, LLC, which operates the Sky, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA), the corporation that owns Wintrust Arena, and the City of Chicago as defendants.
Emails seeking comment from the Chicago Sky and WNBA were not immediately returned Sept. 3.
The complaint says Kanter Freedom's First Amendment
rights were violated when he was "wrongfully ejected" from the Aug. 23 game in Chicago. It frames Kanter Freedom as the "target of a torrent of hateful attacks and discriminatory actions based on (his) viewpoint and gender identity."
"The Chicago Sky; MPEA, through Wintrust Arena Security; and the City of Chicago, by its Police Department, worked together to eject (Kanter Freedom) in retaliation for protected expressions, and continue to work together to enforce the ongoing, unconstitutional ban of Plaintiff from Wintrust Arena," the lawsuit said.
Kanter Freedom was sitting courtside when he entered into a shouting match with Sky guard Natasha Cloud with 1:22 to go in the third quarter. Cloud approached Kanter Freedom, who stood up, stepped onto the court and past photographers with his arms outstretched before security intervened.
As Kanter Freedom was escorted out of the arena, he pointed to his shirt that read, "WOMAN noun. adult human female." The incident reignited tense discourse around transgender participation in the league, which Kanter Freedom inserted himself into by declaring for the 2027 WNBA Draft last month.
Two days later,Sky owner Michael Alter announced that Kanter Freedom has been barred from entering Wintrust Arena, stating Kanter Freedom was attempting to "provoke" Cloud to further his own agenda.
“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 said Aug. 25. "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."
Alter said Kanter Freedom's ban will remain in place until he can "prove to us that he's able to abide by our rules without being a potential threat."
According to the Sky's Fan Code of Conduct — which applies to all ticket holders — the Sky and Wintrust Arena reserve the right to "eject any patron that poses a threat to themselves or other guests. This includes, but not limited to, profanity, racial or ethnic comments, intoxication, disorderly conduct, drug use, sexual harassment, or other intimidating actions directed at officials, players, coaches, spectators, or team representatives. These will not be tolerated and are grounds for dismissal from the arena at the ticket holders expense."
The lawsuit said Kanter Freedom "poses absolutely no danger or immediate threat to public safety."
What Enes Kanter Freedom said about lawsuit
Kanter Freedom shared the first page of his lawsuit on X on Thursday, writing, "I’m taking legal action over my ejection from the @chicagosky game while peacefully exercising my First Amendment rights."
He added, "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. You don’t have to agree with my speech but you don’t get to silence me for it. I will not be intimidated. I will not be silenced. I will continue to stand for women and defend free speech."
A transgender woman has never played in the WNBA, but the league has become a lightning rod for the topic after comments made by Fever guard Sophie Cunningham were published in an ESPN storyon July 21. Cunningham then doubled down, saying young girls playing sports "shouldn't have to go against biological men."
Legislation passed in 27 states barring transgender girls and women from participating in women's sports is aimed at a small portion of the population — 1% of people aged 13 and over in the U.S. identify as transgender, according to a 2025 study by the Williams Institute at UCLA Law.
The Human Rights Campaign reported in 2023 that 19% of transgender youth nationwide were playing sports, including fewer than 1,300 who played sports in school.
Kanter Freedom was selected third overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2011 NBA draft and went on to play 11 seasons, where he averaged 11.2 points and 7.8 rebounds across 748 regular-season games. He played four seasons in Utah, followed by stints in Oklahoma, New York, Portland and Boston.
Contributing: Callie Fin, Meghan L. Hall
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Enes Kanter Freedom sues Chicago Sky for violating rights with ejection, ban
