Chicago Sky Owner Details Enes Kanter Freedom Ejection With a Stark Analogy [WATCH]

Chicago Sky principal owner Michael Alter addressed the decision to eject and ban Enes Kanter Freedom from Wintrust Arena, offering a gun analogy while explaining why Freedom did not receive a warning before his removal.

Alter announced Tuesday that Freedom had been banned following his ejection from Sunday’s game against the Fever.

The team determined that Freedom was “a threat,” with Alter pointing to the moment Freedom “took a step towards the court.”

“That’s when he became a potential threat,” Alter said.

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He noted that league security, arena security, Indiana Fever security, Chicago Sky security, and the Chicago Police Department were present and acted immediately.

Freedom has argued that he should have received a warning before being ejected.

However, the WNBA Fan Code does not state that fans are entitled to warnings before removal, and it says fans who attempt to enter the court will be immediately ejected.

“He wasn’t given a warning because certain threats don’t get warnings,” Alter said.

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He then used an extreme comparison to defend the response.

“To use an extreme example, uh, when you, when you shoot a gun at someone, you don’t get a warning, ‘Don’t do that again.’ It, it’s, you know, your action doesn’t deserve a warning.”

WATCH:

Alter acknowledged that he does not know whether Freedom actually stepped onto the court, while Freedom has maintained that he did not.

Footage shows Freedom moving toward the court before a security guard approaches and prevents him from going farther.

Alter said security personnel were positioned nearby and responded quickly.

He also said he could not determine Freedom’s intent beyond his actions and called Freedom “completely unreliable.”

Freedom has alleged that the confrontation began after he cheered for Fever guard Sophie Cunningham.

According to Freedom, Natasha Cloud turned toward him and said, “She’s not going to sleep with you,” before later cursing at him.

“Was she part of the confrontation? Yes, she was,” Alter said.

“They were going back and forth, so that is correct.”

Alter said he had not spoken directly with Freedom or Cloud about the allegation.

Instead, he said he spoke independently with several nearby spectators who did not know one another and had no stake in the dispute.

According to Alter, those spectators said Freedom initiated the verbal interaction by directing basketball trash talk at Cloud.

He said security did not intervene at that stage because the comments had not crossed the line.

“What they all shared with me was that he initiated the first verbal contact with Cloud, with doing some what I characterize as basketball trash talking,” Alter said.

“That was the first initial contact between Cloud and Mr. Freedom. That’s what then spiraled into the back and forth between them.”

Alter said the exchange included Cloud shouting at Freedom and Freedom making hand and facial gestures toward her.

However, he could not provide the precise words spectators attributed to Freedom, and he acknowledged that no audio confirmed their accounts.

Alter also discussed a woman wearing Fever apparel who sat behind Freedom and said she did not hear him say anything before Cloud approached.

Alter said her account was not inconsistent with the statements from people sitting closer because it would have been difficult for her to hear from her location.

The witnesses have not been publicly identified, Alter could not provide Freedom’s alleged words and no audio has emerged to verify either account.

Nevertheless, Alter characterized Freedom’s claim that he did not initiate the exchange as a lie.

Alter repeatedly declined to discuss whether Cloud’s conduct received or would receive a separate review.

“Her role in this has nothing to do with our decision and how we handle Mr. Freedom,” he said, later adding, “Fans have to be responsible for their own actions, period.”

Freedom’s manager, Hank Fetic, notified Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca at 2:31 p.m. Sunday that Freedom planned to attend.

Pagliocca replied at 5:30 p.m., approximately 30 minutes before the scheduled tipoff, writing, “Appreciate the text, hope you are well too.”

Freedom previously characterized that response as telling his manager to “enjoy the game,” but the screenshot did not contain those words.

Freedom’s representative said, “The text was sent by his manager and his manager paraphrased to him.”

Alter interpreted Fetic’s statement that Pagliocca “deserved a heads up in advance” as a warning that trouble was coming.

However, the message did not explicitly mention trouble, a protest or an intention to provoke anyone, and it did not tell Freedom that he was unwelcome.

Alter said security personnel were informed that Freedom would attend, while the players were not.

He expressed regret about not notifying them but said earlier notice probably would not have changed the decision to let Freedom enter the arena.

The exchange established that Freedom’s manager provided advance notice and that Pagliocca acknowledged it.

It did not establish Freedom’s intent, leaving the Sky and Freedom’s representatives with sharply different interpretations of the same message.

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