Shannon Sharpe is siding with Natasha Cloud after her courtside clash with Enes Kanter Freedom, accusing the former NBA player of deliberately stirring up outrage for attention.
During an episode of Nightcap with former NBA star Joe Johnson, Sharpe criticized Kanter Freedom following the incident at an Indiana Fever game.
“He’s ragebaiting,” Sharpe said, predicting that Kanter Freedom would use the encounter to argue that people were being intolerant of his views.
Sharpe then took aim at Kanter Freedom’s basketball career.
“If you were good, you’d still be in the NBA,” he said. “He was a solid role player, but then he started having these beliefs and these talking points that the league is like, you not that good.”
Shannon Sharpe and Joe Johnson call out enes kanter for his antics after he got into with Natasha cloud. He doing too much for a guy who was a role player his whole career . Him getting into with the wnba feels like he’s looking for his 15mins of fame https://t.co/zgLTSABUfJ pic.twitter.com/fr3ASLwoQb
— NBA Hoops (@Thechat101) August 24, 2026
Kanter Freedom had a baseline interaction with Cloud that ultimately resulted in him being removed from his courtside seat.
Sharpe, a three-time Super Bowl champion and one of sports media’s most recognizable personalities, made it clear he believed more was behind the confrontation than a heated basketball moment.
Kanter Freedom has become an outspoken political commentator since his NBA career ended, often criticizing the Turkish government and other political and cultural issues.
“He’s ragebaiting,” Sharpe repeated of Kanter Freedom’s approach.
