{
  "id": 3378532,
  "title": "Sky owner Michael Alter defends Enes Kanter Freedom’s ejection and criticizes ex-NBA player’s ‘lies’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/sky-owner-michael-alter-defends-enes-kanter-freedoms-ejection-and",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-25T23:43:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/sky-owner-michael-alter-defends-234300922.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Chicago Sky owner Michael Alter defended the ejection of former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom from a recent game and criticized Kanter Freedom's claims of the situation. Kanter Freedom attended the Wintrust Arena game against the Indiana Fever and was ejected after he encroached on the baseline during a dead ball after a verbal exchange with Sky guard Natasha Cloud. Alter also left his courtside seat and confronted Kanter Freedom, urging him to leave the arena. The ejection was part of Kanter Freedom's ongoing involvement in debates about transgender women in women's sports. The Sky had hired additional security for this game due to the heightened tension surrounding Kanter Freedom's presence. Alter stated that he believed Kanter Freedom's purpose for attending was to provoke and cause conflict, as he had never been to a Sky game before. Alter disputed Kanter Freedom's claim that Cloud initiated the altercation and felt that the player had been attempting to start a confrontation. The game officials also felt the need to remove Kanter Freedom to ensure a safe environment for the players. Alter expressed regret for not warning the team about Kanter Freedom's attendance but emphasized that the team would not prevent similar activists or agitators from attending games, as their goal is to enforce the fan code of conduct and maintain a safe environment at their home arena.",
  "summary": "CHICAGO — Chicago Sky owner Michael Alter isn’t backing down after the WNBA team ejected former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom from Sunday’s game against the Indiana Fever. Kanter Freedom attended the game at Wintrust Arena and sat courtside wearing a shirt that read, “WOMAN noun. adult human female.” During a verbal exchange with Sky guard Natasha Cloud in the third quarter, Kanter Freedom ...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Natasha Cloud met with WNBA security after Enes Kanter Freedom confrontation",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/natasha-cloud-met-with-wnba-security-after-enes-kanter-freedom",
        "published": "2026-08-24T04:12:06.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Front Office Sports",
        "title": "Enes Kanter Freedom, Royce White Not Eligible to Play in WNBA",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/enes-kanter-freedom-royce-white-not-eligible-to-play-in-wnba",
        "published": "2026-08-24T18:23:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Former NBA players Kanter Freedom, White not eligible for WNBA, sources say",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/former-nba-players-kanter-freedom-white-not-eligible-for-wnba-sources",
        "published": "2026-08-24T21:20:50.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}