Enes Kanter ejected from Fever-Sky game after verbal altercation with Natasha Cloud

Key facts

Kanter ejected late in third quarter after verbal exchange with Sky guard Natasha Cloud during Fever-Sky game in Chicago
Fever defeated Sky 113-90; ejection eliminated Chicago from playoff contention
Incident occurred after Cloud scored on Caitlin Clark and began pointing and yelling at Kanter, who stood up and walked toward court
Security and officials intervened; Kanter was escorted from arena after trying to protest briefly behind courtside seating

The incident

Former NBA player Enes Kanter was ejected from his courtside seat during Sunday’s WNBA matchup between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Late in the third quarter, Sky guard Natasha Cloud drove to the basket and converted a layup against Caitlin Clark, drawing a timeout from Fever coach Stephanie White. As players retreated to their benches, Cloud pointed and yelled at Kanter, who stood up and walked toward the court. Arena officials and security personnel immediately stepped in, and Cloud’s teammates moved to pull her away. The official gestured for Kanter to be ejected, and both team and arena security escorted him from the arena. He attempted to protest briefly in an area behind courtside seating before leaving to boos and middle fingers from spectators.

The game result

The Fever defeated the Sky 113-90. According to one source, the Fever victory eliminated Chicago from playoff contention.

Context around the altercation

Kanter’s presence at the game came amid recent controversy in the WNBA centered on transgender athlete eligibility. Fever reserve forward Sophie Cunningham made comments to ESPN in July about protecting young girls in sports from competing against biological men. In recent weeks, Kanter and other former NBA players, including Royce White and Larry Sanders, have stated they would enter the 2027 WNBA Draft, identifying as women. According to sources, Kanter arrived at Sunday’s game wearing a shirt with the dictionary definition of a woman. The WNBA has no transgender players and no public policy on transgender participation, though the league’s collective bargaining agreement states that only players who are women are eligible. The league convened a task force in August to discuss the issue.

Kanter’s response and commentary

After his ejection, Kanter posted on X, saying “I just got kicked out of a @WNBA game for supporting WOMEN!” According to outlets covering the story, Kanter attended the game intending to create a scene and provoke confrontation rather than to watch basketball.

Context on Natasha Cloud

Cloud, an outspoken gay player and Sky point guard, had recently made headlines for condemning spectators who threw sex toys onto the court during WNBA games, including during an Atlanta Dream matchup against the Sparks. After Sunday’s game, Sky coach Tyler Marsh said: “If you come to a game, you should come to enjoy the basketball.” Sky forward Azure Stevens acknowledged the incident briefly, saying “There was an incident with a fan and security handled it.”

Sources

Featured photo: Erik Drost via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)