2026年8月24日 / 美国东部时间早上7:01 / 哥伦比亚广播公司/美联社
前NBA中锋恩斯·坎特·弗里曼在周日晚间的印第安纳狂热队对阵芝加哥天空队的WNBA比赛中被驱逐出场，原因是他在第三节末段与天空队后卫娜塔莎·克劳德发生冲突。
当时弗里曼正坐在底线附近，身着一件印有“WOMAN 名词：成年人类女性”字样的黑色T恤。
在第三节还剩1分22秒时，克劳德在内线得分后，狂热队叫了暂停。随后克劳德与队友艾莎·库利巴利撞胸庆祝，之后转身朝着坎特的方向走去。
现年34岁的克劳德一边走向34岁的坎特，一边大喊并指向他。视频画面显示，站起身的坎特张开双臂，在球场上向前迈了一步，此时安保人员和数名天空队球员赶到两人之间进行分隔。
2026年8月23日，在芝加哥温特鲁斯特球馆举行的芝加哥天空队对阵印第安纳狂热队的下半场比赛中，前NBA球员恩斯·坎特·弗里曼与芝加哥天空队9号球员娜塔莎·克劳德发生争吵。图片来源：迈克尔·里夫斯/盖蒂图片社
“当时只是出现了一起球迷纠纷，安保已经处理好了，我们会专注于比赛。”天空队球员阿祖拉·史蒂文斯在球队以90比113输掉比赛后说道。
芝加哥队主教练泰勒·马什表示，克劳德担心自己会干扰球队备战。
“我告诉她不会的，”马什说，“我告诉她，我们都支持她，因为她是那个保护球队、保护需要保护之人的人。塔什始终会坚守这一立场，我们也同样支持塔什。”
在被带离球场区域时，弗里曼停在篮筐附近向安保人员申辩。他转身张开自己的T恤，在走向前厅的过程中煽动观众回应。
他在离开温特鲁斯特球馆前，与几名警察进行了交谈。
“我当时没看到发生了什么，我们当时在暂停时讨论下一回合的战术，”印第安纳队球星凯特琳·克拉克说道，“所以这个问题可能应该去问芝加哥队。”
近期，关于跨性别女性——即出生时被指派为男性、之后通过变性认同自身女性性别者——是否应被允许参加WNBA联赛的争论持续发酵。目前WNBA联赛中从未出现过此类球员。
尽管该联盟的集体劳资协议规定WNBA仅限女性球员参赛，但其中并未包含关于性别认同或出生时指派性别的更具体条款。
狂热队后卫索菲·坎宁安在上月发表于ESPN的专访中表示，她反对跨性别女孩和女性参加女子青少年及成人体育赛事。弗里曼和另一位前NBA球员罗伊斯·怀特宣布自己符合WNBA选秀资格，并称自己认同女性性别。
出生于土耳其、2021年加入美国国籍的坎特，赛前曾在球馆外参加一场支持坎宁安的小型集会。
当被问及是否想对坎特喊话时，马什称赞了联盟及其球员。
“如果你来看比赛，就应该享受篮球赛事本身，”他说道，“在我看来这再简单不过了。我认为这些球员配得上这份尊重，也为此付出了努力。作为一名前篮球运动员，你应该也能理解并感受到这一点。”
据哥伦比亚广播公司体育频道报道，克劳德在赛后并未接受媒体采访。她随后在社交媒体上发表了一份声明。
“致所有跨性别儿童/群体：你们属于我的社群与族群。你们属于这里，被爱着，被看见，做自己就很完美。你们永远都会得到我的保护。”克劳德写道。
这并非克劳德与坎特·弗里曼首次产生交集。2023年，在克劳德批评美国政府后，两人曾在社交媒体上互怼。
Ex-NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom ejected from WNBA game after being confronted by Chicago Sky star Natasha Cloud
August 24, 2026 / 7:01 AM EDT / CBS/AP
Former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom was ejected from Sunday night’s Indiana-Chicago WNBA game after he was confronted by Sky guard Natasha Cloud late in the third quarter.
Freedom was sitting along the baseline. He had on a black shirt that read “WOMAN noun. adult human female.”
The Fever called for a timeout after Cloud scored inside with 1:22 left in the third. Cloud then did a chest bump with teammate Aicha Coulibaly before turning around and walking in Kanter’s direction.
Cloud, 34, started yelling and pointing at Kanter, 34, as she approached him. Video showed a standing Kanter holding his arms out and taking one step on the court as security and a handful of Sky players moved in between the two.
Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom and Natasha Cloud #9 of the Chicago Sky yell at one another during the second half between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena on Aug. 23, 2026, in Chicago. Michael Reaves/Getty Images
“There was just a fan incident and the security handled it, and we’re just going to focus on the game,” Chicago forward Azura Stevens said after the Sky’s 113-90 loss.
Chicago coach Tyler Marsh said Cloud was concerned about being a distraction for the team.
“I told her she wasn’t,” Marsh said. “I told her that we all embrace her as someone that protects our team and protects people that need to be protected and so Tash is always going to stand on that, and we stand for Tash.”
Freedom stopped near the basket to plead his case to security as he was escorted from the court area. He spun around while holding his shirt out and encouraged the crowd to respond as he walked toward the front lobby.
He had a conversation with a group of police officers before departing Wintrust Arena.
“I didn’t see it, we were talking about the next play in our huddle,” Indiana star Caitlin Clark said, “so I think that’s probably a question for Chicago.”
The WNBA has been the subject of recent debates on whether transgender women — people assigned male at birth who transition to align with their gender identity — should be allowed to participate in the league. There has never been such a player in the WNBA.
Although the league’s collective bargaining agreement says the WNBA is restricted to women, it contains no more specific language about gender identity or sex assigned at birth.
Fever guard Sophie Cunningham said in an ESPN profile published last month that she was opposed to transgender girls and women competing in girls’ and women’s sports. Freedom and Royce White, another former NBA player, have declared themselves eligible for the WNBA draft, saying they identify as women.
Kanter, a native of Turkey who became a U.S. citizen in 2021, joined a small rally in support of Cunningham outside the arena before the game.
Asked if he had a message for Kanter, Marsh praised the league and its players.
“If you come to a game you should probably come to enjoy the basketball,” he said, “and that seems pretty simple to me. I think these players deserve that and have earned that. Being a former basketball player, you should probably understand and feel that too.”
Cloud did not speak with the media after Sunday’s game, CBS Sports reported. She later made a statement on social media.
“To every trans kid/person, You are apart of MY community & tribe. You belong. You’re loved. You’re seen. You’re perfect as you are. & you will always be protected by me,” Cloud wrote.
This is not the first time Cloud and Kanter Freedom have crossed paths. In 2023, the two went back and forth on social media after Cloud criticized the U.S. government.
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