Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom sues Chicago Sky, arena authority and city over ejection from WNBA game
Enes Kanter Freedom filed a federal lawsuit alleging First Amendment violations after being removed from a Chicago Sky versus Indiana Fever game and barred from the venue.
Former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom filed a federal complaint in Illinois on Thursday, accusing the Chicago Sky, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA) and the City of Chicago of unlawfully ejecting him from a Sky-Fever game at Wintrust Arena on Aug. 23. Freedom claims the defendants acted in retaliation for his public statements opposing the participation of biological men in women’s sports and for wearing a shirt that defined the word “woman."
According to the filing, Freedom stood courtside, raised his arms to celebrate a three-point shot by Fever guard Sophie Cunningham and was subsequently confronted by Sky guard Natasha Cloud, who allegedly shouted profanity-laden remarks. The lawsuit alleges Cloud’s comments were provoked by Freedom’s shirt and his expressed views, and that the arena’s security, together with city police, coordinated to remove him and impose an indefinite ban from the facility.
Freedom seeks unspecified damages and a permanent injunction requiring the defendants to lift the ban, arguing that the actions violate his First Amendment rights. He posted on his social media platform that while others may disagree with his speech, they have no right to silence him.