Enes Kanter Freedom is escorted out of the Indiana Fever–Chicago Sky game following a heated exchange with Sky guard Natasha Cloud while wearing a shirt reading, “WOMAN — noun. adult human female.”

As The Gateway Pundit first reported Sunday, former NBA star and human-rights warrior Enes Kanter Freedom was dragged out of Wintrust Arena for the crime of wearing a shirt that told the truth: “WOMAN. Noun. Adult human female.”

Now Freedom has put it in writing.

In a letter to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, Freedom is demanding a formal review of his ejection from Sunday’s Chicago Sky–Indiana Fever game, an explanation of the league’s “selective enforcement,” accountability for Sky guard Natasha Cloud, preservation of all video and communications, and a full refund of his courtside tickets. He wants a written answer in five business days.

This is not a man begging. This is a paying customer who sat courtside, cheered a Sophie Cunningham three-pointer, and then watched a WNBA player walk off the floor, scream at him, curse in front of children, and get defended by her coach, while security marched him out of the building.

As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, the confrontation erupted during the third quarter of Indiana’s 113–90 beatdown of Chicago at Wintrust Arena.

Freedom said he had celebrated a three-pointer by Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, a courageous defender of women’s sports, when Cloud allegedly taunted him from the court.

A few possessions later, Cloud walked toward Freedom, pointing and shouting as security personnel, game officials, and several Chicago players rushed between them.

Freedom stood up and extended his arms before an official ordered him removed from his courtside seat.

WATCH:

Freedom said he was never given a warning, despite the WNBA Fan Code of Conduct allegedly requiring one before a spectator is forced to leave.

“According to the WNBA Fan Code of Conduct, a spectator should be issued a warning for any alleged violation before being forced to leave the game,” Freedom wrote. “I received no such warning prior to my ejection.”

Meanwhile, Cloud has faced no publicly announced discipline for confronting and allegedly cursing at a paying spectator.

Instead, Chicago Sky coach Tyler Marsh defended Cloud following the incident, saying the team embraces her as someone who “protects our team and people who need to be protected.”

Freedom blasted the apparent double standard.

“According to the WNBA, any physical or verbal altercation with a fan is treated as conduct detrimental to the game,” he wrote.

“Yet Ms. Cloud’s conduct of yelling, swearing, and pointing at a spectator (me) appears to have escaped any accountability and was, in fact, defended by her coach.”

Chicago Sky owner Michael Alter has since banned Freedom from Wintrust Arena, accusing him of attempting to provoke Cloud and claiming the former NBA player had demonstrated the potential to be a “threat.”

Freedom disputes the team’s account of the confrontation. Reuters reported that Freedom stood and stepped toward the court after Cloud began pointing and yelling at him.

Freedom maintains that he followed the applicable rules and was targeted because of the message on his shirt and his outspoken defense of biological women.

“I should not be treated differently because the League, its players, or personnel disagree with my viewpoint,” Freedom wrote.

He asked whether his WNBA Draft announcement, previous communications with league officials, public advocacy for women’s sports, or shirt played a role in his ejection.

Freedom referenced both incidents in his letter, arguing that the league’s treatment of him was not an isolated event.

He issued five demands:

  1. Identify the policy used to treat spectators differently based on viewpoints unpopular with the WNBA.
  2. Identify who ordered his ejection.
  3. Confirm whether Cloud’s conduct will be reviewed and whether she, the Sky, or team management will face accountability.
  4. Refund the full cost of his courtside tickets.
  5. Preserve every record, video, report, and communication connected to his attendance and removal.

Read Freedom’s full letter below:

Dear Commissioner Engelbert,

I write to formally request an explanation of the basis for my ejection from the Chicago Sky–Indiana Fever game at Wintrust Arena on Sunday, August 23, and to request an explanation of the apparent selective enforcement of League and arena policies that raises serious concerns of viewpoint discrimination.

I attended the game as a paying courtside spectator. I wore a shirt stating, “WOMAN. Noun. Adult human female.” Late in the third quarter, Chicago Sky player Natasha Cloud turned from the court, approached my seat, and began yelling, cursing, and pointing in my direction. Security and Sky personnel intervened, and I was subsequently escorted from the arena.

As a former NBA player, I am thoroughly familiar with the rules governing player and spectator conduct. According to the WNBA, any physical or verbal altercation with a fan is treated as conduct detrimental to the game. The WNBA Office holds the authority to issue heavy fines or multi-game suspensions for players who cross the line into berating or cursing at spectators. Yet Ms. Cloud’s conduct of yelling, swearing, and pointing at a spectator (me) appears to have escaped any accountability and was, in fact, defended by her coach. Meanwhile, I remained fully aware that I could not step onto the court and ensured my presence and expression complied with applicable standards. In other words, I followed your rules.

In addition, according to the WNBA Fan Code of Conduct, a spectator should be issued a warning for any alleged violation before being forced to leave the game. I received no such warning prior to my ejection.

The circumstances of my removal only further highlight a pattern and practice of the League applying its rules unfairly. For example, why did arena personnel believe my ejection was warranted while Ms. Cloud appears to have escaped any accountability for clearly violating League rules against the use of profanity and insults directed at fans? Additionally, why was I not issued a warning for any alleged violation before being ejected, as required by League rules? A thorough explanation is greatly needed.

The need for clarity is heightened by my recent interactions with the WNBA. I have publicly announced my intention to make myself available for the WNBA Draft. I have also been an advocate for defending the integrity of women’s sports. The shirt I wore Sunday evening expressed that same position. I should not be treated differently because the League, its players, or personnel disagree with my viewpoint. The timing and circumstances of my removal beg a variety of questions: Did my WNBA Draft announcement, prior communications with the League, public advocacy for women’s sports, or the message displayed on my shirt play a role in the decision to eject me?

The events of the preceding several weeks make the answers to these questions even more urgent. On July 28, spectators outside the Seattle Storm v. Indiana Fever game were treated differently based on their viewpoints. While supporters of women’s sports were told they could not rally on the raised platform outside the arena, transgender activists were allowed to do so. Next, on August 16, spectators at an Atlanta Dream v. Indiana Fever game were instructed to cover shirts supporting women’s sports that were like mine, while allowing pro-transgender shirts to remain. Although the WNBA subsequently acknowledged that the intervention “should not have happened,” it was no more than a week later that I was removed from the August 23 WNBA game wearing a shirt expressing a similar viewpoint.

Viewed together, these incidents raise significant questions about the WNBA’s application of its own rules depending on the perceived viewpoints of its spectators. The League and its teams have long permitted and promoted expression concerning Black Lives Matter, Pride, voting, and other highly debated topics. It goes without saying that when I purchase a ticket to attend a WNBA game, I expect that I will not be discriminated against based on my viewpoint.

Accordingly, I request that the League provide a written response addressing the following:

  1. Identify the policy, rule, directive, or instruction relied upon in treating certain spectators, including me, differently when we express a viewpoint that appears unpopular with the WNBA;
  2. Identify whether the decision to eject me was made or requested by WNBA personnel, Chicago Sky personnel, Wintrust Arena personnel, security personnel, or another individual or entity;
  3. Confirm whether Ms. Cloud’s conduct has been or will be reviewed under any League policy governing player interactions with fans, including rules governing altercations that require player suspension, and state what accountability, if any, she, her team, and management will face;
  4. Provide a full refund of the cost of my courtside tickets; and
  5. Preserve all materials relating to this incident, including relevant video footage, incident or security reports, communications concerning my attendance or removal, communications referring to my WNBA Draft announcement or public advocacy for women’s sports, and any applicable policies or event-day directives.

I respectfully request a written response within five business days. The WNBA’s pattern of viewpoint discrimination against those, like me, who advocate for the protection of women and integrity of women’s sports has created a real and substantial conflict that must be addressed.

The post Enes Kanter Freedom Demands WNBA Review, Accountability, and a Full Ticket Refund After Sky Guard’s Courtside Meltdown appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.