Enes Kanter Freedom Controversy Is On Cathy Engelbert & Adam Silver, Says Charles Barkley

It does not seem that the WNBA will get out of the mess created by its eligibility rules after Enes Kanter Freedom appeared at a game, and his confrontation with Natasha Cloud gave the critics enough ammunition to continue their activism.

The league tried to avoid this from distracting its proceedings by first appointing a committee to go over its criteria. But when they couldn’t reach a resolution, the likes of Kanter Freedom felt the need to up the ante.

Beyond podcasts and appearances on other shows, the former Boston Celtics star felt he needed to make his presence felt at WNBA games, which led him to Wintrust Arena.

But then, a confrontation with Cloud allowed this discourse to blow up. Charles Barkley believes that the WNBA could have avoided this entire discourse from the start.

Under no circumstances do I think men should play against women. Zero. I’m disappointed in Adam Silver and Cathy… They should have come out two weeks ago… Cathy and Adam haven’t said, ‘Hey, it’s in the title. WNBA. We’re not going to have transgender people in the WNBA, and we’re not going to discuss it again.’

Charles Barkley said

The Hall of Famer reiterated while on Michael Smerconish’s radio show on SiriusXM that he has nothing but love and respect for trans people. At the same time, he also understands where Enes Kanter Freedom is coming from.

Barkley pointed out that if Cathy Engelbert and Adam Silver clarified the eligibility criteria from the start, none of this would have happened. Therefore, he pinned the blame on them for allowing this discourse to come this far.

Sky ban Enes Kanter Freedom from home games

Hours after the confrontation with Natasha Cloud and his removal, the WNBA declared that Enes Kanter Freedom and another former NBA player who had declared for the 2027 Draft, Royce White, were ineligible to play.

The former has continued to argue that, under the current CBA, he is allowed to play because he identifies as a woman. That is what Charles Barkley wants the league to clarify as soon as possible, before this drama continues.

In the meantime, the Turkish-American also said he would continue to appear at WNBA games and would even buy tickets under a fake name to avoid being banned beforehand. Knowing this was possible, the Chicago Sky have done their part.

The Chicago Sky have decided to ban Enes Kanter Freedom from Wintrust Arena moving forward, owner Michael Alter said when speaking to local Chicago media. “He has demonstrated to us, unequivocally, that he has the potential to be a threat.

Kareem Copeland revealed on X

The Chicago Sky have decided to ban Enes Kanter Freedom from Wintrust Arena moving forward, owner Michael Alter said when speaking to local Chicago media.
"He has demonstrated to us, unequivocally, that he has the potential to be a threat."

— Kareem Copeland (@kareemcopeland) August 25, 2026

This means that the 34-year-old will not be permitted to attend any Sky home game. However, this is not a league-wide ban. In fact, Enes Kanter Freedom explicitly mentioned that he wants to attend all Indiana Fever games, including the playoffs. They have not acted upon this so far.

Sky owner refutes Enes Kanter Freedom’s claims that Natasha Cloud instigated confrontation

After Enes Kanter Freedom was shown the door at Wintrust Arena, he flew to New York to appear on FOX News, where he claimed that it was Natasha Cloud who confronted him first.

He began to chirp with her in the third quarter. I would characterize it as trash-talking, nothing personal. Basketball-related, but enough to get her attention, engage her, and in my opinion, to try to provoke her.

CSMS quoted Michael Alter

Alter on Enes Kanter's role in the exchange w/ Natasha Cloud

“He began to chirp with her in the third quarter. I would characterize it as trash talking, nothing personal. Basketball-related, but enough to get her attention, engage her, and in my opinion, to try to provoke her.”

— Chicago State of Mind Sports (@ChiStateOfMind_) August 25, 2026

This was the Chicago Sky owner making it clear that, based on the guard they deployed near the former NBA center and witness testimony from several fans seated nearby, Kanter Freedom was trying to rile Cloud. Maybe he knew the point guard wasn’t one to keep quiet, which made her an easy target.

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