Enes Kanter Freedom says he was ‘kicked out of’ Game 3 of WNBA Finals

ATLANTA — Enes Kanter Freedom, a former NBA player who has emerged as a vocal opponent of transgender athletes' participation in women's sports, said he was kicked out of State Farm Arena at Game 3 of the WNBA Finals after declining to use a private suite the Atlanta Dream assigned him to as a safety measure.

Freedom made the assertion in a video posted to X on Wednesday, hours after the Dream released a statement saying Freedom had contacted federal, state and local law enforcement, as well as league officials, before the game to express concern for his safety after announcing his plans to attend.

Moving him to a suite was "intended to address his security concerns and help provide a safe and positive experience for him and other guests," the Dream's statement read.

Additional arena security were assigned to the suite, and at Freedom's request, state police also assigned an officer to protect him.

However, in the video posted on his X account, Freedom can be seen requesting to sit in the seats he had purchased.

Flanked by city police officers as he approaches an entrance to State Farm Arena in the video, Freedom is met by an arena staff member, who is heard telling him, "Before you come in, you have to agree to go to the suite." Freedom responded that he had purchased tickets and "would like to sit in my seat."

After some back and forth, the video cuts to a clip of an officer listing multiple areas Freedom could go to, then saying, "He just can't be here." Freedom then leaves the arena, spreads his arms and says to the camera, "They kicked me out of the game for supporting women."

A Dream spokesperson said Freedom was given an opportunity to return to the arena at any point as long as he was willing to sit in the suite, based on his security concerns.

"I just got kicked out of a @WNBA game for the second time in a row for supporting WOMEN!" Freedom wrote on the X post showing the video. "Let that sink in, AMERICA!"

Opposition to transgender athletes has become a cause célèbre for Freedom, who played 748 games across 11 seasons in the NBA and last appeared in a game in 2022.

Four days before Game 3, Freedom announced he would be in the crowd and name-dropped Dream center Angel Reese and Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams in his social media post.

He previously attended a Chicago Sky game in August wearing a T-shirt that read "WOMAN noun adult human female" and was ejected from his courtside seat after engaging in an in-game verbal exchange with Sky guard Natasha Cloud . The Sky banned Freedom from their home arena after the confrontation, and Freedom filed a lawsuit against the franchise, claiming his First Amendment rights had been violated.

Freedom began posting about threats he received after announcing his plans to attend Wednesday's game.

In the days leading up to the game, neither the WNBA nor the Dream had any official comment on Freedom's attendance, though a plan for a significant uptick in security was expected. The Dream released the statement about Freedom's seating arrangements roughly 40 minutes before Game 3's tipoff.

"The safety and security of our guests and team members is our highest priority," the Dream's statement read.

The teams largely evaded comment on Freedom before the game.

"Obviously, the media has a responsibility in what they choose to cover," Williams said before warmups.

Said Atlanta coach Karl Smesko: "Everyone is here to watch a great basketball game between two great teams, with some of the best players in the world. We're focused on that."