Key Takeaways
- Robert Griffin III called Enes Kanter Freedom’s courtside confrontation with Natasha Cloud “lame,” arguing that it harmed the women he claimed to protect.
- Security removed Kanter Freedom after he rose from his seat and moved toward the court during the Fever-Sky game, while he later claimed officials ejected him for “supporting WOMEN.”
- Cloud reaffirmed her support for trans people, and Sky coach Tyler Marsh said Kanter Freedom should have come to enjoy the basketball instead of disrupting the game.
Robert Griffin III is calling foul on Enes Kanter Freedom’s latest WNBA spectacle. After the former NBA center was removed from the Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky game following a courtside confrontation with Natasha Cloud, Griffin argued that Kanter Freedom’s stunt undermined the women he claimed to be defending.
“Enes Kanter is causing more harm and damage to the women he claims he is trying to protect,” Griffin wrote on X. “THIS is lame.” The former NFL quarterback later sharpened his criticism, writing, “Enes stepping up and approaching the court to challenge a WNBA player while courtside at a game is not standing up for women. It’s lame no matter what side of the issue you are on.”
The incident unfolded late in the third quarter at Chicago’s Wintrust Arena. Kanter Freedom, seated courtside in a shirt reading “WOMAN noun. adult human female,” exchanged words with Cloud during a timeout.
Video showed him rising from his seat, his arms extended, and moving toward the floor before security intervened. Cloud was restrained by teammates and arena personnel as Kanter Freedom was escorted out.
Kanter Freedom later claimed the exchange began after he celebrated a 3-pointer by Fever guard Sophie Cunningham. According to his account, Cloud yelled, “She’s not gonna sleep with you.”
Kanter Freedom said he responded, “I am not trying to sleep with her. I’m just here to protect women and support her.”
He then framed his removal as political, posting, “I just got kicked out of a @WNBA game for supporting WOMEN! Let that sink in, AMERICA!”
Cloud did not speak to reporters after Chicago’s 113-90 loss, but later addressed her position on Threads. “Trans people exist, and they will always be protected by me,” she wrote.
Sky coach Tyler Marsh also criticized Kanter Freedom’s conduct without debating his message.
“If you come to a game, you should probably come to enjoy the basketball,” Marsh said. “Being a former basketball player, you should probably understand and feel that, too.”
Kanter Freedom has inserted himself into the WNBA’s ongoing culture-war debate since Cunningham raised concerns about transgender participation in women’s basketball.
He subsequently declared himself eligible for the 2027 WNBA Draft while claiming to identify as a woman, although no known transgender woman has played in the league.
