EXCLUSIVE: Chicago Sky principal owner Michael Alter addressed the team’s decision to eject and ban Enes Kanter Freedom from Wintrust Arena in an exclusive interview on Wednesday. When asked why Freedom was not given a warning, Alter made the analogy that someone would not receive a warning for shooting a gun at someone before being punished.
Alter announced on Tuesday that Kanter was banned after his ejection from Sunday’s game against the Fever, as the team determined that he was “a threat.” Alter said Wednesday the determination that Freedom was a “threat” was a when he “took a step towards the court.”
“That’s when he became a potential threat,” Alter said. “We had league security, we had arena security, we had Indiana Fever, Chicago Sky security, Chicago Police Department, all of them were there. All of them acted immediately. All of them, you know, it was the quickest decision I’ve ever seen in someone being ejected from a game.”
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OutKick reached out to Chicago police for a request for comment.
Freedom has since argued he should have been given a warning before his ejection in a letter to the WNBA. The WNBA fan code does not state that fans are entitled to a warning before ejection. When asked why Freedom was not given a warning before his ejection, Alter said “He wasn’t given a warning because certain threats don’t get warnings.
“To use an extreme example, uh, when you, when you shoot a gun at someone, you don’t get a warning, ‘Don’t do that again.’ It, it’s, you know, your action doesn’t deserve a warning.”
Alter acknowledged that he does not know if Freedom actually stepped on the court. Freedom has said he did not step on the court.
The WNBA Fan Code states that fans who attempt to enter the court will be immediately ejected. Footage shows Freedom stepping toward the court, before a security guard promptly comes over and stops him from going any further.
“The security were there to stop him … The Indiana Fever guy was right there. He was right in front of him. The guy from the arena, Monterey, was right there. It took a second for Chicago’s guys to go to get there, but they got there pretty damn fast,” Alter said, later adding, “I can’t tell you what his intent was beyond his actions. I don’t know what was in his head, OK. Neither do you. And if he tells you what’s his intent based on the other things he’s told you, you have to know he is completely unreliable.”
Freedom has alleged that the confrontation began after he cheered for Fever guard Sophie Cunningham. According to Freedom, Cloud turned toward him and said, “She’s not going to sleep with you,” before later cursing at him.
“Was she part of the confrontation? Yes, she was,” Alter said. “They were going back and forth, so that is correct.”
When asked whether the Sky had determined that Cloud violated any rules or planned to discipline her, Alter said, “There was not.”
Alter said he had not spoken to either participant about that allegation.
“I’ve not talked to Natasha nor Mr. Freedom about it, but I have talked to several people who were sitting right there and did not have a stake in the matter,” Alter said. “These are people who did not know each other. They didn’t come with each other. I spoke with them independently of each other, so they had no knowledge of what the other person told me.”
Alter said those spectators told him that Freedom initiated the first verbal interaction by directing basketball-related trash talk at Cloud. He said security did not intervene at that point because the comments had not crossed the line.
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“What they all shared with me was that he initiated the first verbal contact with Cloud, with doing some what I characterize as basketball trash talking,” Alter said. “That was the first initial contact between Cloud and Mr. Freedom. That’s what then spiraled into the back and forth between them.”
Alter said the exchange included “her shouting things at him” and Freedom making “hand gestures and facial gestures” toward her.
However, Alter could not provide the exact words the spectators attributed to Freedom.
Alter also acknowledged that he did not have audio confirming the spectators’ accounts.
“I do not have any audio,” he said.
But according to Alter, at least one nearby spectator offered a different perspective. A woman wearing Fever apparel who sat behind Freedom said she did not hear him say anything to Cloud before Cloud approached him, Alter said.
“She was sitting behind him, contrary to whoever did write about it, said she was sitting in the same row with him or near him,” Alter said. “She wasn’t. She was actually sitting behind him and a few seats down. So I believe her that she didn’t hear him say anything.”
Alter suggested that the woman couldn’t hear it.
“It would be very hard for her to hear it given where she was sitting,” Alter said. “Her comment is not inconsistent with what I was told by people who were actually sitting in direct proximity.”
The witnesses have not been publicly identified, Alter could not provide Freedom’s alleged words and no audio has surfaced to verify either version.
Alter nevertheless characterized Freedom’s claim that he did not initiate the exchange as a lie.
“We now know that is a lie,” Alter said.
Alter also repeatedly declined to discuss whether Cloud’s actions received or would receive a separate review.
When asked why the Sky had not disciplined Cloud if she approached Freedom before he stood and moved toward the court, Alter said her conduct did not affect Freedom’s responsibility for his own actions.
“Her role in this has nothing to do with our decision and how we handle Mr. Freedom,” Alter said.
When pressed about whether Cloud was partially responsible for the overall confrontation, Alter said, “Fans have to be responsible for their own actions, period.”
Alter then declined to answer additional questions about Cloud.
“I’m not here to talk to you about Natasha Cloud,” he said.
The WNBA rulebook allows officials to assess a technical foul without warning for conduct they consider detrimental to the game. It also identifies profanity and taunting as unsportsmanlike tactics.
Sky coach Tyler Marsh defended Cloud after the game and described her as someone who protects her teammates and “people that need to be protected.”
Alter also addressed the advance notice the Sky received that Freedom would attend the game.
Freedom’s manager, Hank Fetic, sent Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca a text at 2:31 p.m. Sunday that read:
“Jeff,
“This is Hank (Enes’ manager) i got a new number. You have always been fair to me so i figured you deserved a heads up in advance.
“Enes and I will be at the sky game tonight.
“Hope you are well.”
Pagliocca responded at 5:30 p.m., approximately 30 minutes before the scheduled tipoff:
“Appreciate the text, hope you are well too.”
Freedom had previously characterized Pagliocca’s response as telling his manager to “enjoy the game.” However, the screenshot does not include a text that said, “enjoy the game.”
Alter pointed to that discrepancy as one example of what he said were inaccurate statements from Freedom.
“He said that he was told by our GM to enjoy the game,” Alter said. “Now that you have the text, you know that’s not what he said.”
Pagliocca’s message acknowledged the notice and returned Fetic’s well wishes. It did not tell Freedom to “enjoy the game.” Freedom’s representatives have addressed the inconsistency in the text.
“The text was sent by his manager and his manager paraphrased to him,” Freedom’s representative told OutKick.
But the exchange also did not tell Freedom that he was unwelcome. Pagliocca did not instruct him to stay away, warn him about his conduct or place any special conditions on his attendance.
The parties instead disagree about how to interpret Fetic’s statement that Pagliocca “deserved a heads up in advance.”
Alter said the Sky viewed that language as a warning that Freedom planned to create a disturbance.
“When you say you deserve to know, why would you say you deserve to know?” Alter said. “That’s a clear, direct indication that be ready, trouble’s coming.”
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Alter argued that someone simply attending a game would ordinarily provide notice in more welcoming terms.
“If you’re coming to a game to have fun, you say, ‘Hey, guess what? I’m coming. Wanted to let you know. Look forward to seeing you,’ something like that,” Alter said. “You don’t say, ‘You deserve a heads up.’”
But Fetic’s text did not explicitly mention trouble, a protest or an intention to provoke anyone. Alter’s interpretation rested on an inference from the wording and the surrounding circumstances rather than an express warning in the message.
Alter also cited the fact that another person purchased Freedom’s ticket. He said Freedom had acknowledged that arrangement publicly and indicated that he did not want the Sky to learn about his attendance through the ticket purchase.
“Most people, 99.9% of the people who come to Sky games, do not try and hide the fact that they’re coming,” Alter said.
However, Freedom’s manager did notify the Sky more than three hours before the scheduled start of the game. Alter argued that Freedom’s group controlled the timing of that disclosure and left the organization with limited time to prepare.
“They went out of their way through the way they purchased the ticket to make sure that we didn’t find that out any sooner than they wanted us to find it out,” Alter said.
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Alter said the organization informed its security personnel once it learned Freedom was coming. The Sky did not prevent him from entering or remove him because of his shirt. Alter said staff members were instructed to ignore Freedom and not “take the bait.”
The players, however, were not told that Freedom would be present.
“Correct,” Alter said when asked whether security knew but the players did not. “You probably heard me say yesterday that that was something I regret not doing.”
Alter said learning about Freedom’s attendance earlier might have given the Sky more time to prepare and allowed the organization to notify its players. But he said it probably would not have changed the decision to allow Freedom inside the arena.
“We didn’t keep him from coming,” Alter said. “Despite all these things, despite the fact that we knew his intentions were not to just do no harm, we knew very well what his intentions were.”
The text exchange establishes that Freedom’s manager provided advance notice and that Pagliocca acknowledged it.
What the exchange does not establish is Freedom’s intent. Alter interpreted it as a warning of impending trouble. Freedom’s side presented it as a courtesy notice that demonstrated the group was not secretly entering the game. The language itself does not expressly resolve between those interpretations.
