What can a T-shirt do? For Enes Kanter Freedom, it got him ejected from Wintrust Arena and later banned him from Chicago Sky games for good. As it turns out, Kanter Freedom, who was at the August 23 game to personally support Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham’s highly criticized stance on the transgender debate, was not going to just take it on the chin.

On August 3, Kanter Freedom filed a lawsuit in the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, against Chicago Women’s Basketball Operations LLC, Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (which owns the Wintrust Arena), and the City of Chicago. He subsequently released a statement and a snapshot of the filing, which has now crossed two million views on X.

“🚨SEE YOU IN COURT!!! Just filed a federal complaint. I’m taking legal action over my ejection from the @chicagosky game while peacefully exercising my First Amendment rights,” Kanter Freedom wrote. “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.”

Kanter Freedom has made more allegations in his lawsuit against the three defendants. He alleges that the Sky’s Natasha Cloud “without provocation, initiated a vulgar, profanity-laced verbal tirade” toward him in the third quarter.

Cloud “charged nearly half the length of the court toward where Plaintiff Freedom was sitting courtside,” per the lawsuit. “Cloud cursed and yelled at Plaintiff saying that (Indiana guard Sophie) Cunningham was not going to sleep with Plaintiff Freedom.

“Plaintiff Freedom believes that Cloud’s attack was motivated and triggered by the message on Plaintiff’s shirt and Plaintiff’s widely publicized viewpoint on protecting the integrity of women only sports.”

Kanter Freedom also alleges that members of the Sky, the MPEA and the City of Chicago all “combined and conspired to eject” him from the game and arena. He believes Cloud did not face repercussions for the entire verbal altercation.

Via the lawsuit, he’s seeking a declaration that his First Amendment rights were violated, that his indefinite ban from Wintrust Arena be lifted, and that his legal fees are covered, as well as “an award of nominal and compensatory damages.”

The Sky and the city of Chicago haven’t publicly responded to the lawsuit yet. The MPEA, in a statement, says the agreement between them and the WNBA franchise “gives the Chicago Sky uninterrupted exclusive access to and from the arena, including ingress and egress, on days of Chicago Sky games.”

“Accordingly, the Chicago Sky controls whether any individual, including Enes Freedom, may access Wintrust Arena on Chicago Sky game days. The Chicago Sky informed MPEA that Enes Freedom was removed from the arena and banned from future Chicago Sky events because he violated rules imposed by the WNBA. MPEA employees were not involved in those decisions.”

How it all started and what everyone involved has said so far about Enes Kanter Freedom

In the Fever vs Sky game late August, Freedom was sitting courtside wearing a black T-shirt that read “Woman: Adult human female” with the words “woman” and “female” highlighted in red. His message was loud and clear, but all he was doing was watching the game when the Sky veteran Natasha Cloud started yelling at him after a layup. He stayed quiet but was seen walking towards her as security got him out of the arena. Videos emerged when Freedom was being ejected, and in one, he was heard arguing with security.

“I’m supporting women; that is the reason they’re kicking me out. This is unacceptable.”

What the Sky owner said of Freedom

The Sky owner, Michael Alter, wouldn’t have it, though. He said Kanter Freedom had begun to “chirp” and “engage” Cloud, and it wasn’t a one-way engagement.

“He has demonstrated to us, unequivocally, that he has the potential to be a threat,” Alter said.

The Chicago franchise’s owner also let Kanter Freedom know that security wasn’t going to wait until “a threat intensifies” and multiple authorities “agree” there was “no alternative but to throw him out.”

While talking to the media, Alter assured everyone that Kanter will not be allowed back into the arena “unless sometime in the future, he’s able to prove to us that he’s able to abide by our rules without being a potential threat.”

Additionally, Kanter Freedom told Fox that GM Jeff Pagliocca had replied, “Just enjoy the game,” after he and his representative informed the Sky executive about their intention to attend. Alter, however, revealed his team didn’t learn Kanter Freedom would show up until three hours before the game.

The tickets were also not booked under the former NBA player’s name. Alter clarified that his GM’s response simply was “appreciate the text.” He believes there’d be no need for a “heads up” if the intention was to only watch the game.

“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 and stir up,” Alter said.

How the WNBA has reacted

It all began when Enes Kanter Freedom and former NBA player Royce White declared for the 2027 WNBA Draft on August 7. They claimed to be biological women and questioned the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, which states that only women can participate in WNBA games but fails to clarify what “women” means.

The WNBA held a committee meeting on August 12 to discuss the transgender issue in good faith. However, it clarified that no policy change was needed. But all it did was thicken the air further…

What has Freedom said after the Fever-Sky game incident

Freedom stayed vocal on social media after his ejection:

“I just got kicked out of a @WNBA game for supporting WOMEN! Let that sink in, AMERICA!”

How Natasha Cloud reacted

Natasha Cloud did not speak to the media after the game, but on her social media, she offered support to the transgender community.

“To every trans kid/person, you are a part of MY community & tribe. You belong. You’re loved. You’re seen. You’re perfect as you are. & you will always be protected by me,” she posted on Threads.

Then, in Cloud’s first comments since the incident on Saturday, she referred to Freedom as “an irrelevant person.”

“I won’t be talking about anything that happened with an irrelevant person,” Cloud said ahead of the Sky’s game against the New York Liberty Saturday afternoon. “What I will focus on is what actually affects women and children.”

This lawsuit from Enes Kanter Freedom was expected. Previously, he filed a six-page public records request with the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority. It is yet to be seen what he is expecting out of this lawsuit.