Ex-NBA player claiming he is a woman banned by WNBA team after joust

Former NBA big man Enes Kanter Freedom has been banned from attending the Chicago Sky's WNBA games after his verbal altercation with Natasha Cloud. Sky owner Michael Alter labelled Kanter Freedom "a potential threat," saying the 34-year-old came to the game against the Indian Fever to "see how much attention he could get". What's next? Kanter Freedom and Royce White, another ex-NBA player, have declared for the 2027 WNBA draft, saying they identify as women. The league has yet to officially rule them out. The Chicago Sky has banned Enes Kanter Freedom from its home games after the former NBA centre was ejected from Sunday's (Monday AEST) loss to the Indiana Fever. Owner Michael Alter made the announcement in a rare news conference on Tuesday. Alter told reporters Kanter Freedom is not allowed inside Wintrust Arena for Sky games "unless sometime in the future, he's able to prove to us that he's able to abide by our rules without being a potential threat". Kanter Freedom was sitting along the baseline wearing a black shirt that read "WOMAN noun. adult human female". The Fever called for a timeout after Cloud scored inside with 1:22 left in the third. Cloud then did a chest bump with teammate Aicha Coulibaly before turning and walking in Kanter Freedom's direction. Cloud, 34, started yelling and pointing at Kanter Freedom, 34, as she approached him. A standing Kanter Freedom held his arms out and stepped onto the court as security and a handful of Sky players moved between the two. "It was pretty clear to us that his purpose of coming here was trying to be provocative and see how much attention he could get," Alter told reporters from the Chicago Sun-Times and other media outlets. Kanter Freedom stopped near the basket to plead his case to security as he was escorted from the court area. He spun around while holding his shirt out and encouraged the crowd to respond as he walked toward the front lobby. Loading Twitter content He had a conversation with a group of police officers before departing the arena. "I just got kicked out of a @WNBA game for supporting WOMEN!" Kanter Freedom wrote on social media. "Let that sink in, AMERICA!" Kanter Freedom and Royce White, another former NBA player, have declared for the WNBA draft, saying they identify as women. But a person familiar with the decision told the AP on Monday, local time, that they are not eligible. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the situation. The WNBA has been the subject of recent debates on whether transgender women — people assigned male at birth who transition to align with their gender identity — should be allowed to participate in the league. There has never been such a player in the WNBA. Although the league's collective bargaining agreement says the WNBA is restricted to women, it contains no more specific language about gender identity or sex assigned at birth. AP The ABC of SPORT Sports content to make you think... or allow you not to. A newsletter delivered each Saturday. [Image text:] WOMAN noun.