Enes Kanter Freedom arrived at Wintrust Arena on Sunday night, and his appearance carried significance beyond simply watching the Fever take on the Sky. The former NBA star previously announced his intentions to enter the WNBA 2027 draft, which became a national headline. He continued to fuel the topic and encountered hostile exchanges with people outside the arena before a separate confrontation inside led to his ejection.

Freedom, who has challenged the WNBA’s approach to gender eligibility, attended the game in support of Sophie Cunningham. He wore a T-shirt featuring a simple definition of the word “woman”: “Adult human female.” The words “woman” and “female” were highlighted in red, making the message difficult to miss.

But not everyone outside the arena was happy to see him. The video shared by Enes Kanter Freedom showed several hostile exchanges with people near the entrance. One shouted an insult, while another person appeared to flip the bird at Freedom.

Enes Kanter Freedom posted footage of the incident on social media. “We are getting attacked before the @WNBA game in Chicago,” he wrote alongside the video. The post quickly attracted significant attention, receiving close to 800k views within a short period.

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Police officers were nearby as the confrontation unfolded, with Freedom appearing to remain surrounded by security personnel while the situation escalated verbally.

Despite the confrontation, Freedom also reportedly received a much warmer response from other fans. Some spectators cheered for him and exchanged high-fives with the former Utah Jazz and New York Knicks player as he made his way around the arena.

The appearance was hardly a surprise given Freedom’s recent campaign surrounding the WNBA’s eligibility policies. The former NBA star has made it clear that he is not approaching the idea quietly. During an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “My View with Lara Trump” on Saturday, he spoke confidently about what he believes his potential WNBA entry could accomplish.

“I think I will be the best draft pick in WNBA history, literally,” Freedom said.

Freedom then challenged the league to clarify the rules it would apply if he attempted to enter the draft.

“The WNBA has no idea what they’re about to face,” he said. “They’re still trying to figure out what a woman is.”

So, let’s see if they can figure that out,” he said. “Let’s see what kind of rules that they’re gonna come up with.”

However, it was Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud’s confrontation with Freedom at his courtside baseline seat that led to his eventual ejection.

Late in the third quarter of the Sky’s matchup with the Fever, Cloud drove to the basket for a layup, a play that prompted Indiana to call a timeout. Following the bucket, the veteran guard made her way toward Freedom, who held his arms up and took one step on the court. Indiana security stepped in to hold Cloud back, while a group of security personnel escorted Freedom out of the seating area and into the lobby.