Team Owner Responds to Lawsuit

Chicago Sky principal owner Michael Alter issued a statement Friday calling a federal lawsuit filed by former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom "meritless and frivolous." The lawsuit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Illinois, alleges that Freedom's First Amendment rights were violated when he was ejected from the Sky's August 23 game against the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena and subsequently banned from the venue. The suit names Chicago Women's Basketball Operations, LLC, which runs the Sky; the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, which owns and operates Wintrust Arena; and the city of Chicago as defendants.

In his statement, Alter said, "Freedom's claim that he was removed from Wintrust Arena due to his speech is false. As his own complaint acknowledges, he wore the shirt in question for multiple hours without any contact with security. Security removed Freedom only after he violated fan code of conduct by rising from his seat, gesturing at a player, and stepping toward the court."

Alter added, "Freedom was removed for his conduct, not his speech. We look forward to the truth prevailing in court." He also noted that, at the advice of legal counsel, the team would have no further public comments on the matter outside of the courtroom.

The Incident at Wintrust Arena

Freedom, a 6-foot-10, 250-pound former NBA center, was seated along the baseline wearing a black shirt that read "WOMAN noun. adult human female." Late in the third quarter, Sky guard Natasha Cloud scored with 1:22 left in the period, prompting the Fever to call a timeout. Cloud then chest-bumped teammate Aicha Coulibaly before turning and walking toward Freedom. According to accounts of the scene, Cloud, 34, began yelling and pointing at Freedom, also 34, as she approached. Freedom, who had risen from his seat, held his arms out and stepped onto the court as security and several Sky players moved between the two.

Security escorted Freedom from the court area, with Freedom stopping near the basket to speak with security. He then spun around, held out his shirt, and encouraged the crowd to respond as he walked toward the front lobby. He spoke with a group of police officers before leaving the arena.

Two days after the game, the Sky announced that Freedom would be banned from Wintrust Arena indefinitely. At that time, Alter said of Freedom, "He has demonstrated to us, unequivocally, that he has the potential to be a threat."

Lawsuit Allegations

Freedom's lawsuit alleges that the defendants "combined and conspired, and acted jointly to execute their conspiracy, to discriminate against Plaintiff based on Plaintiff's verbal and demonstrable expression of viewpoint and gender identity when they wrongfully ejected" him. He is seeking damages and the removal of his ban from attending games at Wintrust Arena.

The complaint also alleges that Cloud was "triggered" by Freedom's T-shirt and launched a profanity-laced tirade without being ejected herself. Cloud has publicly called Freedom "irrelevant" and redirected the conversation to issues such as domestic violence and sexual abuse.

Broader Context: WNBA Eligibility

Freedom and fellow former NBA player Royce White have declared themselves eligible to play in the WNBA. However, CBS Sports reported that sources around the league said they do not consider the eligibility of Freedom and White a legitimate issue and view their actions as publicity stunts. A person familiar with the decision said the two are not eligible.

The legal proceedings are set to unfold in federal court, where both sides have indicated they expect the truth to prevail.