“I will not be intimidated.”: Enes Kanter Freedom takes legal action against Chicago Sky after ejection over t-shirt controversy

WNBA: AUG 23 Indiana Fever at Chicago Sky - Source: Getty
WNBA: AUG 23 Indiana Fever at Chicago Sky - Source: Getty

Enes Kanter Freedom has been making headlines since his recent altercation with Natasha Cloud. Earlier, on August 23, the ex-NBA player was ejected from a WNBA game after a verbal argument with Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud in the middle of a game between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever.

Enes Kanter Freedom was banned from Wintrust Arena for an indefinite period and then filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Sky, alleging they violated his right to free speech.

On September 3, Kanter revealed that he filed a federal complaint against the Chicago Sky over his ejection from the Chicago Sky game. He shared that he filed a federal complaint over his ejection from the Chicago Sky game. He wrote:

“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.”

For those aware, Freedom wore a t-shirt to a game between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever that had a dictionary-style definition of “woman” on it: “WOMAN noun. adult human female.” During the game, Natasha Cloud approached him and shouted, while Kanter stood with his arms open. Soon the security team came in and removed Kanter from the game.

Therefore, in his recent tweet Enes Kanter Freedom wrote that his t-shirt did something that the WNBA couldn’t do. He added that this won’t silence him.

“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,” Enes Kanter wrote.

Lastly, Enes added that he continues to stand for women.

“I will not be intimidated. I will not be silenced. I will continue to stand for women and defend free speech.”

Enes Kanter Freedom has challenged WNBA’s gender rules

The ex-NBA star announced last month that he wants to be considered a WNBA player to challenge the league’s gender rules, saying he meets their criteria for self-identification and inclusion.

Enes Kanter Freedom challenged gender rules after Sophie Cunningham expressed her view that only athletes who are biological women should compete in women’s sports during her ESPN interview.

The WNBA rules allow only women to play, but they do not explain what “women” means or mention hormone levels or biological sex.

On September 2, Enes Kanter appeared on Piers Morgan’s show where he said he isn’t trying to mock the league, but instead trying to help them. He went on to say that the WNBA Commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, can finish this debate easily by just adding one word ‘biological’ to their rules.

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Edited by Shatakshi Gupta