Former NBA player Royce White believes Enes Kanter Freedom’s removal from a WNBA game following his exchange with Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud may be only the beginning of the league’s response.
White, who, like Freedom, has officially declared for the 2027 WNBA Draft to challenge the league’s eligibility policies, joined ‘Don’t @ Me w/ Dan Dakich’ on Monday and shared his reaction to the now-viral moment that unfolded in Chicago on Sunday during the Indiana Fever’s 113-90 win over the Sky.
During a break in the action in the third quarter, Cloud began talking towards Freedom, who was sitting court side. The former NBA forward responded by stepping toward the floor, leading Cloud to approach him, before security got involved and escorted Freedom out of the arena.
When asked by Dakich whether he believes Freedom may have made a mistake by getting involved with Cloud, White took things in a bit of a different direction, and predicted the WNBA will intervene with authority.
“I just know how the business works and how the PR works, and they’re going to say that he instigated a conflict with a player, and there is an immutable line between the spectators and the players,” White began.
“They’re going to make a statement that he’s, you know, indefinitely suspended or banned from WNBA events, if not NBA and WNBA. Same as the guy who was caught throwing the dildo on the court. Now it’s a very different deal what that guy did and Enes, but they’ll treat it the same because of the nature of the politics and the controversy. In my opinion, that statement is coming in the next couple of days.”
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After being escorted out of the arena, Freedom shared his side of what took place on the floor with Cloud.
“Sophie Cunningham shot a three, and I put my hands up to celebrate,” Freedom told Jackson Thompson of Fox News Digital. “Literally, a couple possessions later, Natasha came back and started screaming and yelling and said, ‘She’s not gonna sleep with you.’
“And I was like, ‘I am not trying to sleep with her. I’m just here to protect women and support her.’ And then, obviously, after that she started yapping, and she started to walk towards me, and literally I just got up, and then I was like, ‘I’m just here to protect women, and that’s all.’”
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WNBA PLAYER NATASHA CLOUD FIRES OFF PRO-TRANS MESSAGE FOLLOWING ALTERCATION WITH ENES KANTER FREEDOM
Freedom also explained that Cloud began using “some very heavy language” towards him, which surprised him given the many young fans seated within shouting distance.
Freedom and White both declared for the 2027 WNBA Draft earlier this month after Fever star Sophie Cunningham received backlash for stating her opinion that women’s sports should be exclusive to women. Freedom and White are using the league’s rules to challenge the WNBA to clarify its eligibility standards.
The WNBA’s current collective bargaining agreement states that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” It does not publicly define the term or establish specific eligibility requirements for transgender athletes.
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