Enes Kanter Freedom has spent months trying to stir up controversy around the WNBA, and he planned to bring that campaign to Game 3 of the WNBA Finals on Wednesday night. But it didn’t go the way he wanted.
Kanter Freedom was denied entry to State Farm Arena after he refused to watch the game from a private suite, which the Atlanta Dream and the arena had arranged in response to his own concerns about his safety. Instead, he spent the night posting videos on social media complaining that he couldn’t sit in the seats he had purchased.
Kanter Freedom’s WNBA Stunt
Over the summer, Kanter Freedom and fellow former NBA player Royce White both announced plans to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft, saying that they identify as women. The goal has been to pressure the league into taking a stand on transgender women.
Last week, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told Congress that neither of them is eligible because they are “both men.” And Kanter Freedom responded by asking, “IS THE #WNBA TRANSPHOBIC?”
“Apparently, the WNBA still can’t define what a WOMAN is, but they’re absolutely certain they know what a MAN is! How convenient!” he wrote on X.
Kanter Freedom announced on Saturday that he planned to attend Game 3, saying that he was inspired by Valkyries star Gabby Williams, who has said that she would welcome a transgender teammate.
“Her words gave me so much hope and motivation to come out as a woman and officially declare for the WNBA draft,” Kanter Freedom wrote. “I can’t wait to watch my favorite player, the woman who inspired me to become who I am today!”
He also took a shot at Dream star Angel Reese, who he said had blocked him on social media.
“I can’t wait to take some notes on how to finish a layup after grabbing a rebound,” Kanter Freedom wrote.
It was his first WNBA game since August, when he was ejected from a Chicago Sky game and banned from the arena after a heated interaction with Sky guard Natasha Cloud. He has since filed a lawsuit against the Sky over the ban.
Denied Entry
Before the game, State Farm Arena released a statement saying that Kanter Freedom had contacted federal, state, and local authorities, as well as the WNBA and the Dream, to express concerns about his safety.
“Following consultations with the WNBA, Dream ownership, State Farm Arena leadership and security officials, we have directed Mr. Freedom to watch tonight’s game from a private luxury suite,” the arena said, via ESPN. “This arrangement is intended to address his security concerns and help provide a safe and positive experience for him and other guests.”
The arena added that the suite would have additional security, and that state police had assigned an officer to him at his request.
But Kanter Freedom wasn’t interested. In a video posted to X, he claimed that arena security was “banning us from our purchased seats.”
“I guess they have to escort me out of the building,” he added.
At halftime, he posted another video showing him being told at the entry gate, “If you come in you have to agree to go to the suite.”
“I purchased tickets, right? Just because I purchased tickets, I would like to sit in my seat. That’s all I want,” Kanter Freedom responded.
An Atlanta police officer then told him that he was “free to go to the city of Atlanta streets,” but that “he just can’t be here.”
A State Farm Arena official said that Kanter Freedom “was offered the suite for his safety and he rejected it.”
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