WNBA’s Verdict on Enes Kanter’s Draft Future Surfaces After Natasha Cloud Clash, Per Sources

A former NBA center declared he and Caitlin Clark could become a “modern Kobe and Shaq” if he made the Indiana Fever roster. That fantasy hit a wall this week, first from the league itself, and then from a WNBA player standing a few feet away from Enes Kanter at courtside.

According to league sources who spoke with Front Office Sports, Enes Kanter Freedom and fellow former NBA player Royce White are not eligible to play in the WNBA.

Both men declared their intention to enter the 2027 draft in recent weeks. They claimed they identify as women, but a league source dismissed the moves outright: “Simply publicity stunts.”

Sources added that the WNBA does not consider its eligibility rules to present any legitimate or immediate matter requiring action.

The league’s position rests on the collectively bargained language in its new CBA. Article XIII, Section 1(a) states: “Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.”

The agreement includes no further language defining gender identity or sex assigned at birth. The exact point Kanter spent weeks arguing should work in his favor.

According to sources, the league disagreed entirely, treating the entire campaign as bad-faith noise rather than a real policy gap that needs closing.

The Enes Kanter-Natasha Cloud Incident That Made the Story Impossible to Ignore

The league’s verdict arrived the same weekend Kanter’s campaign turned into a real, physical confrontation. Kanter attended Sunday’s Chicago Sky-Indiana Fever game at Wintrust Arena, seated courtside in a black T-shirt reading “WOMAN noun. adult human female.”

After scoring a basket, Sky guard Natasha Cloud turned and began shouting and pointing directly at Kanter. He stood, raised his arms and took several steps toward the court before arena security intervened and escorted him out, with Cloud held back by teammates as she continued shouting. Chicago went on to lose the game 113-90.

A fan seated near Kanter, Trista Smith, told reporters he hadn’t initiated the exchange. “Natasha Cloud made a basket, came and got in his face, so he stood up, put his hands up,” she said.

Sky coach Tyler Marsh backed his player. He told reporters anyone attending games “should probably come to enjoy the basketball,” adding that the players “deserve that and have earned that.”

Kanter joined a small rally outside the arena earlier in support of Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, whose comments opposing trans athletes in women’s sports sparked a league-wide debate this summer and have since prompted organized protests at multiple Fever road games.

Cloud has been outspoken on the other side of the issue. She previously made comments critical of the country’s political climate, which Kanter has separately criticized her for online.

That existing friction, combined with Kanter’s provocative shirt and courtside presence, set the stage for Sunday’s confrontation well before Cloud ever crossed toward him.