Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom has intensified his clash with the WNBA, filing a federal lawsuit after he was removed from a game last month.

Kanter, who previously played center for teams including the New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder, said Thursday that he is taking legal action against the Chicago Sky, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority and the City of Chicago.

In the lawsuit, filed in Illinois, Kanter claims the three defendants wrongfully ejected him from the Sky’s August 23 matchup with the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena.

The case comes as Kanter has placed himself at the center of the WNBA’s growing debate over transgender athlete participation, including by attempting to use the league’s eligibility rules to enter next year’s draft.

The dispute escalated during the Sky’s game against the Fever, featuring Sophie Cunningham and Caitlin Clark, when Kanter, seated courtside, became involved in a tense confrontation with Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud.

He claims the trio of defendants mistreated him that night and he did nothing wrong before they ‘combined and conspired to eject’ him from the arena.

That night, Kanter chose to wear a provocative T-shirt that included a definition of the word woman. ‘Woman. Noun,’ it read. ‘Adult human female.’ The words woman and female were highlighted in red. He insists that did not violate the WNBA’s Fan Code of Conduct. 

While he admits to standing up and raising his arms during the game, Kanter claims that was just to celebrate a Cunningham three-pointer. He has previously alleged that Cloud told him: ‘She’s not going to sleep with you.’ 

In the lawsuit, Kanter claims Cloud ‘without provocation, initiated a vulgar, profanity-laced verbal tirade’ at him.

It also alleges Cloud ‘charged nearly half the length of the court toward where Plaintiff Freedom was sitting courtside’ before she ‘cursed and yelled at Plaintiff saying that Ms. Cunningham was not going to sleep with Plaintiff Freedom.’

‘Plaintiff Freedom believes that Cloud’s attack was motivated and triggered by the message on Plaintiff’s shirt and Plaintiff’s widely publicized viewpoint on protecting the integrity of women only sports,’ it continued.

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Kanter is suing all three bodies and is demanding a permanent injunction lifting the ban on him that was imposed by Sky owner Michael Alter.

‘The Chicago Sky; MPEA, through Wintrust Arena Security; and the City of Chicago, by its Police Department, worked together to eject Plaintiff in retaliation for protected expression, and continue to work together to enforce the ongoing, unconstitutional ban of Plaintiff from Wintrust Arena, which is public property owned by MPEA,’ the lawsuit stated.

In a post on X announcing his lawsuit, Kanter wrote: ‘SEE YOU IN COURT!!! Just filed a federal complaint. I’m taking legal action over my ejection from the @ChicagoSky game while peacefully exercising my First Amendment rights.

‘My T-shirt did what the whole @WNBA apparently couldn’t: define a woman. No threats. No violence. Just biology. And somehow, that required a security escort. You don’t have to agree with my speech but you don’t get to silence me for it. 

‘I will not be intimidated. I will not be silenced. I will continue to stand for women and defend free speech.’

Kanter’s efforts to play in the WNBA were dealt a blow last month when league bosses ruled him ineligible for the 2027 draft. 

A league source said it is ‘not going to give oxygen to efforts designed to mock the league or use this topic to demean and marginalize others,’ calling it a ‘publicity stunt’, per Front Office Sports.

Last week, Cloud shared her thoughts on the explosive courtside clash with Kanter.

‘I won’t be talking about anything that happened with an irrelevant person,’ she told reporters. ‘What I will focus on is what actually affects women and children.’   

‘I will talk about real issues that face women, and it’s not our trans human beings,’ she continued. ‘It’s not our drag queens. It’s not our gay community. There is a certain demographic of people that you can generally search.

‘It’s a simple Google search of what is the greatest threat to women and children in 2026 in the United States of America, and it’s not going to be trans people.’

President Trump came to Maria Bartiromo’s defense, calling the longtime Fox News host a “true warrior” and saying her many supporters “will not be happy” following her abrupt departure from the cable network.

Bartiromo’s sudden exit, after 12 years at Fox News and Fox Business, was announced without explanation, a move that appeared to catch the president off guard Thursday night.

“I can’t believe Maria Bartiromo is no longer going to have her great show(s) on FoxNews/Business,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

He pointed to her success across “three different shows,” describing them as “always number one,” before adding: “Maria is a total professional, and a true warrior.”

Trump also predicted a backlash from Bartiromo’s audience, writing that her “fans, of which there are many, will not be happy.”

Bartiromo’s ouster was announced in a statement by Fox News Media hours after the final episode of “Mornings with Maria,” her weekday Fox Business Network show, aired Thursday morning.

“Effective today, Maria Bartiromo is no longer with Fox News Media,” the company said in a statement. “We thank Maria for her work over the last 12-and-a-half years and wish her all the best on her next chapter.”

The unexpected announcement fueled speculation that Bartiromo could be replacing Karoline Leavitt as Trump’s press secretary.

However, Vice President JD Vance said he did not believe Bartiromo, 58, was headed to the White House after her departure.

“I love Maria. I think she’s an amazing person, amazing talent,” Vance told reporters. “Whatever she does, look, she’s gonna do great, and I wish her all the best.”

Bartiromo has not spoken out publicly about her exit from Fox News.

As of Thursday night, her X account still advertised her former shows on the cable news network.

Fox News and Fox Business are subsidiaries of Fox Corp — sister company to The Post’s corporate parent News Corp.

Minnesota authorities have identified the victims in Wednesday’s shooting at a Minneapolis apartment building, where two civilians were killed and two police officers were wounded by gunfire.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said the civilians who died were 63-year-old Dale Henry Spry and 61-year-old Muse A. Afrah. Officials had earlier reported that one person was pronounced dead at the apartment complex, while the second later died at a hospital.

Investigators believe both victims lived in the building where 35-year-old Carlton Neal Johnson II opened fire before being killed during an exchange of gunfire with responding officers. A preliminary autopsy found that Johnson suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and authorities classified his death as a homicide.

The BCA also named the two injured Minneapolis Police Department officers as Joseph Michnowski, who has served with the department for five years, and Yahye Ahmed, a nearly two-year veteran of the force.

Ahmed was released from a hospital Thursday, while Michnowski remained hospitalized Thursday afternoon, interim Police Chief Bill Peterson said during a briefing.

Garrett Parten, an MPD public information officer, said one of the injured officers sustained an apparent non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the leg, while the other underwent surgery.

Another officer involved in the incident was also evaluated for an apparent non-life-threatening injury, Parten said.

Peterson identified the third officer as Ernest Boateng but clarified that his injuries were not directly related to the gunfire. Boateng was cut by glass while breaking a window of a locked police vehicle whose sirens were going off, Peterson said.

Boateng was evaluated and released Wednesday.

The BCA said at least one officer discharged his gun during the incident, identifying the officer as Liban Mohamed Ibrahim, a two-year MPD veteran.

“Investigators are continuing to determine whether any other officers fired their weapons,” BCA said.

Wednesday’s shooting began during a domestic child custody exchange involving a woman who previously had a relationship with Johnson, according to Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Johnson reportedly shot the woman outside the building before going inside the apartment, where he shot another facility worker. He then went to the ninth floor, where he shot two residents who later died.

He was also facing eviction from the apartment building, according to court records obtained by Fox9 Minneapolis.

Officials have not determined whether Johnson specifically targeted the victims.

A mother says she has been left feeling “helpless” after UnitedHealthcare allegedly refused to pay for her son’s brain injury rehabilitation, accusing the insurance giant of putting profits ahead of patients.

Peyton Alvarez, a 25-year-old airline mechanic with PSA Airlines, was riding his motorcycle in Greenville, South Carolina, on April 28 when he crashed into a tree.

Despite wearing a helmet and protective gear, Peyton suffered a severe traumatic brain injury in the impact and remained unconscious for six weeks. Doctors warned his mother, Trina Alvarez, that her son might never wake up.

Then, in early June, Peyton opened his right eye. He has since been able to move his left arm and wiggle his toes on command, Trina told the Daily Mail.

Hoping to give him the best chance at recovery, Trina filed a claim through Peyton’s employer-sponsored insurance plan, administered by UnitedHealthcare, and arranged for him to be transferred to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, a leading rehabilitation hospital for brain injury patients.

But on July 7, Trina was crushed when she received a denial letter from UnitedHealthcare, which stated that Peyton’s treatment at the facility was ‘medically unnecessary.’ 

‘It is so frustrating. It makes me so angry that they can control what happens with my son because the longer he stays at the hospital he’s at, the less chance he has to wake up,’ Trina told the Daily Mail. 

‘When you push a parent to the point of feeling like they are helpless, and may contribute to whether their son may ever be able to talk or move his arms and legs or sit up on his own, that should not be allowed,’ she added.

‘UnitedHealthcare is one of the biggest insurance companies. They make sh** tons of money, and they want to deny his care,’ Trina said.

‘It’s all about the money. It’s not about my son and the medical care that he should get,’ she added. 

When Peyton opened his left eye and showed that he could still make small movements, it was a ray of hope for his anguished mother. 

It was the young man’s doctor who recommended that he be transferred to the Shepherd Center, and when Trina’s application to have her son treated there was accepted, that marked another moment of hope. 

The selective facility only accepts patients with a good chance of at least partial recovery, and around 85 percent of those who are admitted to the program experience improvement in their condition, Trina said. It also only accepts patients covered by insurance.

So when UnitedHealthcare denied Peyton’s initial claim, and then also denied an appeal Trina submitted with documentation of the doctor’s recommendation, the mom was utterly devastated. 

UnitedHealthcare came under scrutiny for denying insurance claims after its former CEO, Brian Thompson, was assassinated in late 2024. 

Thompson’s killer, Luigi Mangione, recently admitted in court that he was motivated by his frustration and anger at the healthcare system after being unable to receive coverage for chronic severe back pain. 

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‘[UnitedHealthcare is] the biggest insurance company,’ she said. ‘They’ve made the most money, and they’re the most commonly denying this kind of cr**.’

Trina explained that UnitedHealthcare justified denying Peyton’s treatment at the Shepherd center because he is at a three on the Rancho scale, a clinical measure of cognitive recovery for patients with brain injuries. 

It is indeed common for insurance companies to deny rehab coverage for patients at a three on the scale, as their clinical measures for providing claims are rigid. Trina said that UnitedHealthcare wanted her son to be at a four to qualify for coverage.

‘But the problem is, getting him to a four is dependent on him getting in the [Shepherd Center] program. That’s what they do is get them further,’ the mom told the Daily Mail.

She added that over the past few days, Peyton has been awake for hours at a time and holding his head up on his own. 

‘I know that the more stimulation he gets, the better he’s getting,’ Trina said, emphasizing that the sooner he gets the treatment he needs, the likelier he is to have a more significant recovery.

In a statement to the Daily Mail, UnitedHealthcare said: ‘We empathize with the Alvarez family during this incredibly difficult time.

‘Based on the clinical information we have, Mr. Alvarez has alternative full-time care options covered under his plan that can provide rehabilitative therapy. We are ready to work with the family as soon as they make a decision.’

Trina scoffed at that reply and said that the ‘alternative’ option UnitedHealthcare referred to was putting Peyton in a skilled nursing facility. 

‘They said a skilled nursing facility was a middle ground. That was our compromise,’ Trina told the Daily Mail. ‘When would anybody be okay with compromising on their son’s medical treatment?’

‘If he goes to a skilled nursing facility, all they’re going to do is make sure he doesn’t starve to death and keep him clean,’ she said.   

Trina told the Daily Mail that she has been looking into having her son transferred to the Hermann Hospital in Houston, another top brain injury rehab, and potentially paying out of pocket. 

If treatment at the facility brings him to a four on the Rancho scale, he may then qualify for coverage under UnitedHealthcare’s plan, but Trina said she is also looking into swapping providers because the hospital told her other companies might pay for his care.

An online fundraiser has been organized to help Peyton’s family cover out-of-pocket medical expenses. 

Burning Man is now underway in Black Rock, Nevada, where the 10-day desert gathering is built around themes of creativity, community and human connection. But one Christian group says that spirit of “radical inclusion” did not extend to them.

John Hinerman, who leads the Christian outreach group Shift the Atmosphere, traveled to the Burning Man festival with the goal of sharing the message of Jesus. In an Instagram video posted Wednesday, he said organizers had told the group to leave the event.

“Burning Man is discriminating us and breaking their own rules of being ‘radically inclusive’ and KICKING us out for being Christians?!” Hinerman wrote in the caption accompanying the post.

In the video, Hinerman told followers the group was packing up after being asked to depart. “We have been asked to leave Burning Man. We’re packing up. They’re kicking us out. Satan’s mad. We have over 600 people who have given their lives to Jesus already, and Satan can’t do anything about it,” he said.

Hinerman also said he believed “God is about to move and do something huge,” adding that the group had been given just three hours to dismantle a camp he said took an entire week to set up.

He added that the festival claimed their ejection was due to his group filming people without their consent, but he claimed those were “lies” made up by the festival.

“What’s crazy to me is there’s young kids – which is wicked and sad that parents would bring their kids to these – but grown men will have their penises out and women are walking around naked without consent,” he said.

“These children didn’t give you consent to be walking around with your penises out in front of all these kids. It’s so wicked and sad.”

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He concluded that post by stating, “Burning Man knows they’re wrong. God will have the last say.”

Burning Man spokesperson Dominique Debucquoy-Dodley responded to Hinerman’s claims (via SF Gate), stating, “Burning Man takes participants’ right to privacy seriously.”

“Seeking permission and consent before filming or engaging other participants in Black Rock City is a requirement and responsibility for anyone at the event. This camp received multiple warnings and opportunities to correct their behavior, yet continued to violate our policies and were therefore evicted,” he added.

The complaints stemmed from Hinerman’s group filming people while encouraging them to “take a blessing,” which violated Burning Man’s rules.

Hinerman shared another video on Instagram Wednesday, showing some encounters with friendly “burners” who helped them clean up their camp when they were asked to leave.

“Many other BURNERS are coming and JOINING us helping us clean up everything up because even THEY are against the Burning Man for kicking us out for sharing our Faith…” the post began.

“WE LOVE the BURNERS. We had such beautiful time spending with the people here. Burning Man is WRONG for kicking us Out and the devil is MAD over 800 people gave their lives to Jesus and became a LIVING temple of the Holy Spirit. One of their #1 Rules, is “Radical Inclusion”. I guess it’s Radical inclusion for everyone EXCEPT Christians,” he concluded.

Hinerman and Shift the Atmosphere appear to be moving on from the ordeal, with his latest post on Thursday revealing that they were continuing on their “mission to save souls” to Reno, Nevada.