The courtside drama in Chicago took an unexpected turn Sunday night when Enes Kanter, the former NBA big man, was escorted out of the WNBA matchup between the Sky and the Fever. The ejection came after a tense verbal exchange with Sky guard Natasha Cloud, and Kanter didn't waste a second before airing his grievances online.
"I just got kicked out of a @WNBA game for supporting WOMEN! Let that sink in, AMERICA! 🇺🇸," Kanter posted on X, formerly Twitter, shortly after being removed from the arena. The former center, who was seated courtside in a black shirt emblazoned with the word "woman," claimed his ejection was a direct result of his advocacy.
Video from the scene shows Cloud and Kanter going nose-to-nose before security intervened and guided Kanter out. The exact trigger for the confrontation remains murky, but it capped off a chaotic evening that began even before tip-off, with Kanter claiming he was "attacked" while entering the building.
Kanter's presence in Chicago was already contentious. He had previously declared his intent to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft, arguing that the league's eligibility rules—which don't explicitly require players to be biological females—left the door open for him. "If simply declaring who you are is all that's required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA," he wrote on X in a lengthy statement.
He doubled down on that stance in interviews, calling himself "the best draft pick in WNBA history" and framing his campaign as a way to expose what he sees as a glaring loophole. "There's other major sports that obviously closed that loophole," Kanter told Fox News. "They added 'biological female' or 'born female' in their collective bargaining. But when I look at the WNBA, they didn't have kind of, you know, reference to biological or anything like that."
Kanter also pointed to a coach's "trans kids belong" shirt as evidence that the league is open to self-identification. "I was like, if no one's against it and all the coaches are OK with it, think about how much money I can bring, think about all the endorsement deals," he said.
The WNBA has not officially commented on Kanter's eligibility or Sunday's ejection. Meanwhile, fans and players have been buzzing on social media, with some praising Cloud for standing up to Kanter and others questioning why he was allowed courtside in the first place.
This isn't the first time Kanter's WNBA appearances have turned hostile. His previous attempts to attend games have drawn protests and heated reactions, and Sunday's ejection seems to have only fueled his determination to push the league's boundaries.
As the season rolls on, all eyes will be on how the WNBA handles Kanter's ongoing provocations—and whether his draft declaration will force a rule change or simply fade into the noise of a chaotic year.
