Stephen A Smith rips ‘classless’ Enes Kanter for provoking WNBA stars

Former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom faced significant backlash following his heated exchange with Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud during an Indiana Fever-Sky game. Stephen A Smith, a commentator, backed Kanter's broader argument about the Women's National Basketball Association's (WNBA) eligibility rules but deemed his behavior "classless" and "excessive."

Kanter entered the Sunday match donning a shirt that read, "WOMAN. Noun. Adult human female." The situation escalated when Cloud scored a goal and turned towards Kanter. Kanter rose and approached the court before security whisked him away. While Kanter argued he had a valid policy issue, Smith felt he targeted the wrong people.

“Enes Kanter did, although he had every right to do it, and although it’s clearly to bring attention to the unfairness of not specifically defining what a woman is in [WNBA’s] collective bargaining agreement,” Smith said on his YouTube show. “As a result, somebody who is transgender can wake up and say, ‘I’m a female, and I want to participate in the WNBA according to the language of the law.

You could actually get away with it, and that needs to be clarified.” Smith emphasized that Kanter should direct his criticism towards league officials and the collective bargaining agreement, rather than the players. "Enes Kanter was wrong," Smith reiterated, "It was a classless thing for him to do. Because the ladies that are playing don’t have anything to do with this.

The league does. It’s the collective bargaining agreement..." He added that the WNBA players should not be agitated in such a manner, as it distracts from their preparation and performance. Smith concluded that Kanter's message was valid but criticized him for his conduct, stating, “Enes Kanter… went too far by showing up in attendance with that shirt on.

Show some class, bro. That’s not the ladies that’s doing this.” The WNBA has already dismissed Kanter and Royce White from the 2027 draft draft, but Kanter continues to use this dispute to draw attention. Right now, the focus should be on basketball, as the playoffs are approaching. Yet, the league should also address the underlying issue in the background.