Enes Kanter Freedom Leaves WNBA Finals Over Seating Dispute

ATLANTA — The Dream and State Farm Arena moved Enes Kanter Freedom’s seats to a private suite for Game 3 of the WNBA Finals, saying that Freedom “expressed concern about his personal safety.” 

In a statement released minutes before Game 3 tipped off, the Dream and State Farm Arena say Freedom “contacted federal, state and local authorities, the WNBA, the Atlanta Dream and State Farm Arena officials” about his safety concerns. 

“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 statement said. “This arrangement is intended to address his security concerns and help provide a safe and positive experience for him and other guests. The suite will have additional security and will be his designated viewing location for the game.  State police have also assigned an officer to Mr. Freedom at his request.”

Freedom said on social media that he did not want to sit in a private suite. “Just talked to director of security of the NBA and they are now banning us from our purchased seats,” he wrote. “I guess they have to escort me out of the building.”

The NBA did not comment.

He later posted a video of himself walking out of the arena, surrounded by security and several members of a camera crew, while arguing with a team executive. Kanter said he wanted to sit in his original seat and was ejected from the game.

Freedom was able to purchase tickets despite being thrown out of a Sky–Fever game in Chicago two months ago after a verbal altercation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud. The Sky issued Freedom an indefinite ban from the team’s home games, and team owner Michael Alter said Freedom “made himself into a threat” after stepping towards Cloud while standing near the baseline.

A source told FOS in August that the WNBA did not have plans to institute a league-wide ban on Freedom, which allowed him to attend Wednesday’s game in Atlanta. Freedom publicly declared his intention to Game 3 through a post on social media on Saturday following Game 1.

In his tweet, Freedom said “this all started” because of Valkyries star Gabby Williams, who said in May she would support trans athletes playing in the WNBA. In early August, Freedom declared for the WNBA draft, claiming he identifies as a woman and that the WNBA’s eligibility rules do not define the meaning of a woman. 

His declaration also came after Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham said in an ESPN story in late July that she wants “to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”

The WNBA has one line in its collective bargaining agreement about eligibility based on gender. Article XIII Section 1 (a), which reads: “Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” The CBA does not include any language around gender identity or gender assigned at birth.

Following the Sky–Fever game in August, league sources told FOS that Freedom and Royce White, another former NBA player attempting to play in the WNBA, were not allowed to play in the W according to league rules, and commissioner Cathy Engelbert recently told a member of Congress that the pair were not allowed to play in her league because they are men.