Enes Kanter sues after ejection from WNBA game

Enes Kanter has filed a federal lawsuit over his removal from a WNBA game, turning an arena dispute about gender and free expression into a legal case. The former NBA player is seeking damages from the Chicago Sky, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority and the city of Chicago.

Kanter was ejected during the game between the Sky and Indiana Fever after wearing a shirt defining a woman as an adult human female. He had attended in support of Fever player Sophie Cunningham, who has opposed the participation of transgender women in the WNBA. The incident escalated after Kanter celebrated one of Cunningham’s three-pointers and Chicago guard Natasha Cloud confronted him. Security then escorted him out as officials sought to restore order.

The complaint was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Kanter maintains that he was peacefully exercising rights protected by the First Amendment and argues that his shirt did not contain a threat or promote violence. He has continued to describe the action as support for women and freedom of expression.

The dispute sits within a wider US argument over transgender participation in women’s sport. The WNBA has not banned transgender athletes, while Sophie Cunningham’s position differs from that policy. Kanter, who lost his rights in Turkey because of his opposition to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has also been outspoken on political and civil-liberties issues.