Natasha Cloud comments on ejection incident involving Enes Kanter Freedom

<p>Natasha Cloud referred to Enes Kanter Freedom as an "irrelevant person" during her first public comments since their confrontation led to his ejection from Chicago Sky home games. "I won't be talking about anything that happened with an irrelevant person," Cloud stated to reporters. "What I will focus on is what actually affects women and children."</p><p>Cloud emphasized her intention to discuss issues that impact women, stating, "It's not our trans human beings. 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."</p><p>The incident occurred late in the third quarter of the Sky’s game against the Indiana Fever on August 23. Freedom was seated courtside wearing a shirt that defined a woman as an "adult human female" and had announced plans to seek eligibility for the 2027 WNBA Draft as part of his protest against the league’s eligibility language.</p><p>Freedom claimed he raised his hands to celebrate a shot by Fever guard Sophie Cunningham and alleged that Cloud later turned to him and said, "She’s not going to sleep with you." He stated that they exchanged words before Cloud approached him, yelling and pointing. Video footage shows Freedom standing and extending his arms as security intervened. The Sky reported that arena security, NBA Security, and Chicago police considered him a potential threat, while Freedom maintained he did not intend to enter the court.</p><p>Sky principal owner Michael Alter announced two days later that Freedom was banned from future games at Wintrust Arena unless he could demonstrate compliance with the organization’s rules. Cloud praised Alter, general manager Jeff Pagliocca, and coach Tyler Marsh for their handling of the situation, stating, "We're asking for protection, and that's what protection looks like from a man." She expressed hope that the WNBA would follow their lead.</p><p>The WNBA Fan Code of Conduct allows teams to eject spectators and prevent individuals from attending future games, stating that a guest who attempts to enter the court can be removed immediately.</p><p>When asked about the ongoing controversies in the WNBA, Cloud attributed them to men, stating, "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." She added that protection should include all women, including Black women and trans women.</p><p>Cloud scored 14 points earlier in the game as the Sky lost to the Liberty, 85-66.</p>