Natasha Cloud's message following her argument with Enes Kanter Freedom makes her stance on transgender people clear

N atasha Cloud made her position on transgender people unmistakably clear after becoming involved in a heated confrontation with former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom during the Chicago Sky 's loss to the Indiana Fever .

The incident occurred Sunday at Wintrust Arena during a game that was already carrying significant attention because of Freedom's recent campaign to enter the WNBA .

The former NBA center was sitting along the baseline wearing a black shirt displaying the definition of a woman as “WOMAN noun. adult human female.”

Late in the third quarter, Cloud scored a basket with 1:22 remaining. After celebrating with teammate Aicha Coulibaly , the Chicago guard turned toward Freedom and began yelling and pointing in his direction.

Freedom stood up and moved one step toward the court, prompting security personnel and Sky players to immediately separate the pair.

Freedom was subsequently escorted from the arena and did not return for the remainder of the contest.

The precise words exchanged between the two were initially unclear. Cloud did not speak to reporters after the game, but she later posted a message on Threads that made her position on transgender people clear.

"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.

The statement was widely interpreted as a response to the controversy surrounding Freedom's presence at the game and his public campaign over transgender participation in women's sports.

Cloud receives support from her Chicago teammates

Cloud's comments came after an emotionally charged night for the Sky, who were beaten 113-90 by Indiana. The game itself became secondary to the confrontation, with Cloud subsequently meeting with both team and league security.

Chicago coach Tyler Marsh nevertheless made it clear that he supported his veteran guard.

“I told her she wasn’t,” Marsh said when discussing Cloud's concern that the confrontation had become a distraction.

“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.”

The coach also suggested that Freedom's presence should not have overshadowed the players and the basketball itself.

“If you come to a game you should probably come to enjoy the basketball,” Marsh 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.”

The confrontation comes amid a broader debate surrounding gender eligibility in women's sports. Freedom has publicly said he intends to pursue a place in the WNBA, while former NBA player Royce White has also made a similar declaration.

The WNBA's collective bargaining agreement states that only women are eligible to play in the league, although the agreement does not spell out a detailed policy concerning gender identity.

Freedom had attended the game after previously making his views on the issue known and had also appeared at a rally supporting Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham , who has publicly expressed opposition to transgender women competing in women's sports.

After being removed from the arena, Freedom offered his own version of events on social media.

"I just got kicked out of a @WNBA game for supporting WOMEN! Let that sink in, AMERICA!" he wrote on X.

He followed that with another message: "It’s always women hating on other women," he wrote.

Cloud , meanwhile, chose not to engage in a lengthy public back-and-forth. Instead, her message focused on transgender people and her promise of support.

That distinction is significant. Whatever caused the initial exchange between the two, Cloud's subsequent statement left little ambiguity about where she stands on the treatment of transgender people.

For the Sky guard, the controversy has become another example of how quickly discussions away from the basketball court can become intertwined with the WNBA.

Her coach has publicly backed her, while Freedom has continued to use the incident as part of a much larger argument about women's sports.

For now, though, the clearest message from Cloud came after the confrontation, and it was directed not at Freedom, but at transgender people she wanted to reassure that they belong and are supported.