Chicago Sky player DiJonai Carrington is anticipating a future matchup with Sophie Cunningham, a sentiment shared on social media shortly after Carrington was ejected for a flagrant foul on Cunningham during a recent game between the Indiana Fever and the Sky. The incident has led to a public exchange, with Carrington suggesting Cunningham benefited from "white privilege" and Cunningham accusing Carrington of playing the race card for attention.
During the game, which the Fever won 90-86, Carrington was assessed a flagrant 2 foul and ejected after striking Cunningham in the face with her arm as Cunningham drove toward the basket. Cunningham was left bloodied and required attention.
Following the ejection, Carrington posted "8/23" on social media, which appears to reference the next scheduled game between the Fever and the Sky on August 23. This post came shortly after Carrington wrote on Threads, "WHITE PRIVILEGE @indianafever." The post had garnered nearly 2 million views at the time of reporting.
Cunningham responded to Carrington's comments, telling ESPN that she believed the league handles such matters and that the incident was not about race. "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," Cunningham stated. She suggested Carrington's actions were an attempt to gain attention, noting the increased viewership when the Fever play.
Cunningham also described the foul as unnecessary, stating, "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." She added that people were "starting craving attention" and should "go do something good in the world."
This is not the first time Carrington has been involved in a notable on-court incident. In 2024, while playing for the Connecticut Sun, she poked Caitlin Clark in the eye. At the time, no foul was called, and Clark stated the poke was not intentional. Carrington later appeared to mock the incident in a social media recreation.
