Enes Kanter Freedom says he was ejected from Game 3 of WNBA finals at State Farm Arena

Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom said he was ejected from Game 3 of the WNBA finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena on Wednesday, and posted a video at halftime claiming he had been removed from the arena. State Farm Arena and its public relations representative disputed Freedom’s account, saying the venue had arranged a private suite for his safety and that he rejected the offer.

State Farm Arena issued a statement saying Freedom had contacted federal, state and local authorities, the WNBA, the Atlanta Dream and arena officials to express concerns about his personal safety for Game 3; after consultations the arena, the WNBA, Dream ownership and security officials directed him to watch the game from a private luxury suite with additional security, and state police had been assigned at his request. The arena’s public relations official said Freedom “was offered the suite for his safety and he rejected it”. The venue described the suite as his designated viewing location for the game.

Footage posted by Freedom at halftime showed him being told at the entry gate: “If you come in you have to agree to go to the suite.” In the clip Freedom replied: “I purchased tickets, right? Just because I purchased tickets, I would like to sit in my seat. That’s all I want.” An Atlanta police officer is also heard in the video saying, “You’re free to go to the city of Atlanta streets. That’s another private establishment over there. He’s free to go there. He just can’t be here.” The reason for his alleged ejection was not immediately clear.

Freedom has been prominent in public commentary opposing transgender participation in women’s sports and that stance has been linked in the past to his interest in the WNBA after Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham’s comments over the summer drew rebukes from players and fans. His appearance in Atlanta followed an August incident in Chicago in which he was ejected after a confrontation with Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud and subsequently banned from the Sky’s home arena; at that prior game he wore a shirt bearing the words “WOMAN noun adult human female”.

Before Wednesday’s game Freedom criticised Golden State’s Gabby Williams for her support of transgender athletes and posted a sarcastic social media claim that Williams had inspired him to identify as a woman and enter the WNBA draft. Freedom and fellow former NBA player Royce White have publicly claimed to identify as women and announced plans to enter the draft; WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert wrote in a response to questions from Republican congressman Marlin Stutzman that “Only women are eligible to play in the WNBA and the individuals you cite in your letter are both men.” When asked about Freedom’s planned attendance before the game, Williams said: “Obviously the media has a responsibility in what they choose to cover.”

Atlanta beat Golden State 97-71 in Game 3, with Angel Reese scoring 21 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to help the Dream take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven WNBA finals. The reported removal of Freedom occurred during the same game in which Atlanta posted the victory.

Game 4 is scheduled for Saturday 24 Oct: Golden State at Atlanta, 1pm (NBC). Subsequent games listed by the league are Monday 26 Oct Game 5: Atlanta at Golden State, 8pm (USA/CNBC); Thursday 29 Oct Game 6: Golden State at Atlanta, 8pm* (USA/CNBC); and Saturday 31 Oct Game 7: Atlanta at Golden State, 8pm* (USA/CNBC).

In the United States the series will air on NBC, USA Network and CNBC, with all games streaming on Peacock; in the UK coverage will be provided by Sky Sports and in Australia fans can watch through WNBA League Pass with selected coverage available on ESPN.