Chicago Sky player DiJonai Carrington addressed the Flagrant 2 foul she committed against the Indiana Fever's Sophie Cunningham, stating that the contact was unintentional and a result of her aggressive playing style. Carrington returned to the court Monday night, receiving a loud welcome from Seattle fans just two days after the incident.
"It was unfortunate that I made contact with her in the way that I did, but it was never intentional," Carrington said after scoring a career-high 26 points in the Sky's 97-88 loss to the Seattle Storm. "And, look, it might happen again. That’s just how I play. I’m gonna always go all out. I’m not gonna just let an open layup happen. But like I said, I’m never intending to hurt anybody, regardless of the outside noise or whatever the situation may be."
Carrington was ejected from Saturday's game after hitting Cunningham in the head and neck area on a layup attempt. The play was reviewed and upgraded to a Flagrant 2 foul.
She also called for more consistency in the league's officiating. "I would just love consistency across the board when it comes to things like that," Carrington stated. "Whether it’s the foul that I commit, whether it’s the reaction or retaliation, I would just love for it to be consistent across the board, regardless of the name on your jersey or your skin color or the score of the game, whatever."
Carrington's post-foul social media activity, including a "white privilege" post shared shortly after her ejection, also drew attention. She later clarified her stance on X, formerly Twitter, stating that her post was not an assessment of the foul itself but an invitation for critical thinking. Carrington, who holds degrees in psychology and African and African-American Studies from Stanford University, emphasized her informed perspective on the term.
Former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho weighed in, characterizing Carrington's foul as a "basketball play" that was missed. He argued that while the contact was egregious, the ruling should remain within the scope of basketball, suggesting that race did not factor into the call itself.
Cunningham, however, directly refuted the notion that race played a role in the incident. "I think the league is taking care of that. This has nothing to do with race," she told ESPN. "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 suggested Carrington's actions were an attempt to gain attention. "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," she said. She also noted that Carrington had no prior history with the team that would warrant such an incident.
Following the foul, Cunningham quickly got to her feet and appeared to confront Carrington before being restrained by teammates and staff. Footage from the game showed Cunningham shouting at Carrington, but she later stated she was not upset, but reacting to an unnecessary action and seeking attention. "I mean, s***, people have started craving attention. Like, go get it somewhere else. Go do something good in the world."