Key Takeaways
- Chicago Sky owner Michael Alter called Enes Kanter Freedom’s federal lawsuit “meritless and frivolous,” arguing security removed him for confronting Natasha Cloud and stepping toward the court—not for his anti-transgender message.
- Freedom claims the Sky, Wintrust Arena’s owner and the City of Chicago violated his First Amendment rights, and he wants the court to lift his indefinite arena ban and award damages and legal fees.
- The case escalates Freedom’s campaign against transgender participation in women’s sports, which has included an ineligible bid for the 2027 WNBA Draft and demands that the league restrict eligibility to “biological females.”
Chicago Sky owner Michael Alter has a blunt response to Enes Kanter Freedom's federal lawsuit: See you in court.
Alter called Freedom's case “meritless and frivolous” on Friday, September 4, one day after the former NBA player sued the Sky and other defendants over his ejection from an August 23 game and subsequent ban from Wintrust Arena. Freedom claims he was punished for exercising his First Amendment rights. Alter says the evidence—including Freedom's own lawsuit—tells a different story.
“Freedom’s claim that he was removed from Wintrust Arena due to his speech is false,” Alter said, according to The New York Times. “As his own complaint acknowledges, he wore the shirt in question for multiple hours without any contact with security.”
That shirt read, “WOMAN noun. adult human female,” and Freedom has made it central to his claim that the Sky targeted him for his views on transgender participation in women's sports. But Alter argues security didn't intervene because of anything printed across Freedom's chest. They intervened after his confrontation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud.
During the third quarter, Cloud approached Freedom as he sat courtside, and the two exchanged words. Freedom then rose from his seat, gestured, and stepped toward the court before security moved in.
“Security removed Freedom only after he violated the fan code of conduct by rising from his seat, gesturing at a player, and stepping toward the court,” Alter said. “Freedom was removed for his conduct, not his speech. We look forward to the truth prevailing in court.”
That conduct-versus-speech distinction now sits at the center of a federal case.
Freedom sued the Sky, Wintrust Arena owner Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority and the City of Chicago, alleging the three worked together to eject him in retaliation for protected expression. He wants the court to declare that his First Amendment rights were violated, lift his indefinite arena ban, and award legal fees along with nominal and compensatory damages.
The lawsuit is the latest escalation in Freedom's increasingly sprawling fight with the WNBA. He previously attempted to declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft as part of his campaign against transgender women competing in women's sports, although the league has confirmed he is not eligible.
No transgender woman has ever played in the WNBA, and there are currently no transgender athletes petitioning for inclusion in the WNBA.
Cloud hasn't shown much interest in extending the argument either. She called Freedom “irrelevant” after their confrontation and pushed back against men who had suddenly positioned themselves as defenders of the WNBA.
“The men now that are like, ‘Oh, we need to protect the WNBA,’ y’all were the same ones saying we shouldn’t be paid,” Cloud said. “So, if you’re going to protect women, that means all women.”
