Enes Kanter Freedom Leaves WNBA Finals After Standoff Over Suite Seating and Security Claims

On Wednesday evening, outside State Farm Arena in Atlanta, former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom stood at a security entrance and argued with police and arena officials over where he would be allowed to sit for Game 3 of the WNBA Finals. The argument was long and heated. It ended with officers telling him he had to leave the property, and he walked away.

The dispute began before he arrived. Freedom had contacted federal, state and local authorities, the WNBA, the Atlanta Dream and arena officials to raise concerns about his safety at the game. According to a statement State Farm Arena gave OutKick, the league, Dream ownership, arena leadership and security officials consulted and then directed him to watch from a private luxury suite. The statement said the suite would have extra security, and that state police had assigned an officer to him at his request.

Freedom rejected the plan. In a video he posted on X of a phone call with a security representative, he said he did not want a suite and would sit in the seats he had bought. The representative told him the only thing available that night was the suite. Freedom replied by asking whether the representative understood that every media outlet would hear about this, and then said, "I guess they'll have to drag me."

At the entrance, footage posted by Benny Johnson shows the same argument in person. A security officer told him that if he were admitted, he would have to go to the designated suite. Freedom said he had paid thousands of dollars for tickets and wanted to sit in his seat. An official gave two reasons for the arrangement: he had voiced concern for his security and arrived with security, and he had been ejected from an earlier WNBA game. "So we're saying we're gonna make this a safe environment for you," the official said.

The exchange sharpened when an official brought up a social media post Freedom had made about a player. Freedom defended it as free speech. When told he was targeting people, he repeatedly demanded a name. He was offered a refund and turned it down, saying he wanted to sit in his seat and enjoy the game. He accused the officials of bullying him and likened the suite to a cage. Officers then told him he had to go, noting he could stand on public streets. "Well, I guess you got to escort me," he said, and left.

Afterward, Freedom told Johnson, "They kicked me out of the game for supporting women," and added, "Shame on the NBA and shame on the WNBA." He denied having security concerns, which is at odds with his earlier statements about threats and with the reasoning officials gave at the door. Asked whether he felt discriminated against, he said, "Of course, this is discrimination."

The threats he had described are the backdrop. Freedom told OutKick he had received "thousands of death threats" after announcing he would attend, including messages warning he would be "the next Charlie Kirk." That number has not been independently verified. He said his direct messages were full of images and videos of the Kirk shooting, and on Tuesday he posted a compilation of messages he presented as threats. He said he had contacted the FBI and arranged his own security. A spokesperson for Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp told OutKick the governor's office had connected his team with the appropriate law enforcement resources.

He has said he wanted to attend to support women's basketball, and that if a player confronted him he would not escalate and would stay off the court. His history with the league is contentious. He was removed from an August game between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever after a heated exchange with Sky guard Natasha Cloud, and was later banned from the Chicago arena. He has also challenged the WNBA over eligibility for transgender athletes and announced an attempt to enter its draft.

Game 3 between the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries tipped off at 8 p.m. Eastern. Atlanta and the Hawks had arranged for the Dream to host Games 3 and 4 at State Farm Arena rather than the smaller Gateway Center Arena. The open questions are how the threats are assessed and whether the league and arena face scrutiny over how they handled a high-profile safety request.