Chicago Sky player DiJonai Carrington was ejected following a collision with Sophie Cunningham in Indiana's 90-86 victory. Toward the end of the first quarter, Cunningham drove toward the basket, only to be struck in the face by Carrington's arm. The hit left the Fever guard bloodied on the floor.
Officials reviewed the foul and assessed Carrington a flagrant 2, sending her to the locker room. Both Cunningham and her teammate Caitlin Clark were seen waving as the Sky player headed off the court.
Immediately following the foul, Cunningham climbed to her feet and attempted to confront Carrington, but teammates and staff dragged her away. Courtside footage appeared to show Cunningham calling her rival a "dumb a** b****" and shouting, "Why the f*** would you do that?"
Following her ejection, Carrington wrote "WHITE PRIVILEGE @indianafever" on Threads from the locker room. Shortly after the game, Carrington posted "8/23" alongside a smiling emoji on social media. The post has been viewed nearly 2 million times and appears to reference the next matchup between the Sky and Fever on August 23.
Cunningham Responds to Ejection and Comments
When asked about the social media comments, Cunningham told ESPN that the league was addressing the situation. "I think the league is taking care of that. This has nothing to do with race," Cunningham said. "Last year, I did the same thing and I got kicked out. And I deserved to be kicked out. There's no reason even to play that card."
Addressing the foul itself, Cunningham described it as unnecessary. "Clearly, I think it was unnecessary. I've never really spoken to her and have no beef with her, but I guess she has some pent up stuff. So get your s*** off. That's fine. I can take it," Cunningham said.
Cunningham suggested Carrington committed the foul to gain attention during a nationally televised game. "I do think when people play the Fever, we're nationally televised, there's a lot of eyes on us and people just want attention. And that's her just trying to get attention," Cunningham said. "I don't even know her. She wasn't even on the team last year when all that was going on... it's intentional. She wasn't even on the team. She has no reason to be doing any of that. So, good way to get her kicked out."
Cunningham insisted after the game that she was not upset during the altercations. "I wasn't even upset... I popped up. I'm not going to let anyone just do that to me. I think everyone knows that. I think that's why she did it because she wants attention," Cunningham said. "I mean, s***, people have started craving attention. Like, go get it somewhere else. Go do something good in the world."
Previous Conflict with Caitlin Clark
The Daily Mail has contacted the WNBA for comment regarding Carrington's comments and ejection.
The incident is not the first controversy involving Carrington and a top WNBA star. Back in 2024, while playing for the Connecticut Sun, Carrington left Clark with a black eye after poking the Fever guard in the face.
No foul was called during that 2024 game, and Clark insisted the eye poke "wasn't intentional." Carrington later appeared to mock the collision by staging a dramatic recreation on a social media stream.
