Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud called Enes Kanter Freedom "irrelevant" and shifted attention to what she described as more pressing issues as she addressed reporters for the first time since her verbal confrontation with the former NBA player during a game on Aug. 23.
"I won't be talking about anything that happened with an irrelevant person," Cloud said before a 85-66 loss to the New York Liberty on Saturday, Aug. 29. "What I will focus on is what actually affects women and children currently in 2026."
Cloud then spoke for two more minutes, emphasizing domestic violence, sexual assault and food insecurity as the three problems facing women that should be discussed instead of Kanter Freedom.
“I will talk about real issues that face women, and
it's not our trans human beings," Cloud added. "It's not our drag queens. It's not our gay community. There is a certain demographic of people that you can generally search; it's a simple Google search of what is the greatest threat to women and children in 2026 in the United States of America, and it's not going to be trans people."
Cloud confronted Kanter Freedom during a game against the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena. He was sitting close to the court in a black shirt that read "WOMAN noun. adult human female."
The Fever called for a timeout after Cloud scored with 1:22 left in the third, and she approached Kanter Freedom. He stood up with his arms outstretched and stepped over photographers to approach the court. Cloud was held back by teammates as Kanter Freedom was surrounded by security. He was then escorted out of the arena.
Sky owner Michael Alter told reporters on Aug. 25 that Kanter Freedom is banned from Wintrust Arena. The WNBA does not currently plan to subject him to a league-wide ban.
The collective bargaining agreement between the WNBA and its players' union has said "only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA," since the league's inception in 1996. There's no further definition of a woman or a publicly available policy regarding the eligibility of transgender or intersex athletes.
Although no transgender women play in the WNBA, Kanter Freedom and former NBA player Royce White unsuccessfully attempted to claim eligibility for the 2027 WNBA draft following comments made by Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham in an ESPN story. Cunningham added to those remarks, saying young girls playing sports "shouldn't have to go against biological men."Cunningham's comments on transgender athlete participation and the ensuing conversation came after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld states' right to ban transgender girls and women from participation in women's sports.
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.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What Natasha Cloud said about Enes Kanter Freedom, 'real issues' facing women
