SEE YOU IN COURT!!!
Just filed a federal complaint.
I’m taking legal action over my ejection from the
@chicagosky
game while peacefully exercising my First Amendment rights.
My T-shirt did what the whole
@WNBA
apparently couldn’t: define a woman.
No threats. No violence. Just biology.
And somehow, that required a security escort.
You don’t have to agree with my speech but you don’t get to silence me for it.
I will not be intimidated.
I will not be silenced.
I will continue to stand for women and defend free speech.
🚨SEE YOU IN COURT!!!
Just filed a federal complaint.
I’m taking legal action over my ejection from the @chicagosky game while peacefully exercising my First Amendment rights.
My T-shirt did what the whole @WNBA apparently couldn’t: define a woman.
No threats. No violence.… pic.twitter.com/LqQO6x4z0X
— Enes Kanter FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) September 3, 2026
Kanter Freedom sues Sky, city and arena owner
The lawsuit seeks to challenge his indefinite ban and argues that the defendants acted against him because of his viewpoint. That brings a dispute that started inside a basketball arena into federal court.
Chicago Sky says arena rules, not his shirt, drove the ejection
The Sky’s account is that Kanter was verbally engaging Natasha Cloud, stood up, moved toward the court and was treated as a potential threat. The team’s Fan Code of Conduct allows ejection for disorderly or intimidating conduct.
The lawsuit also puts the WNBA’s own rules under scrutiny
The league’s collective bargaining agreement says only women are eligible to play in the WNBA, but the league does not publicly define “woman” or provide a publicly available transgender or intersex eligibility policy. That gives the broader dispute another legal and institutional issue to fight over.
Cathy Engelbert WNBA retirement will come at end of season, league says
Friday, Catherine Engelbert announced her retirement at the end of the season.
USA Today reported:
Cathy Engelbert is stepping down as WNBA commissioner, ending a polarizing tenure that saw the league grow exponentially under her watch but also raised questions about her ability to lead it through its era of increased scrutiny and attention.
Engelbert has informed the league of her decision to retire, effective at the end of this year, it was announced today by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
“Cathy has presided over the WNBA through the most significant period of growth in the league’s 30-year history,” said Silver. “We are grateful for Cathy’s leadership and unwavering commitment to the advancement of women’s basketball.”
What a horrible run. This was a good day for the WNBA.
The potentially bigger issue is who actually has First Amendment obligations here.
Kanter is suing not only the privately operated Sky but also the City of Chicago and MPEA, the public entity that owns Wintrust Arena. MPEA says its employees were not involved in the ejection or ban and that the Sky controls access on Sky game days. That distinction could become central to the case.