Sophie Cunningham, forward for the Indiana Fever, has criticized Chicago Sky player DiJonai Carrington for invoking "white privilege" following a hard foul during their recent game. The incident, which occurred in the first quarter of Saturday's matchup, resulted in Cunningham being struck in the face by Carrington's arm, leaving her bloodied and leading to Carrington's ejection from the game with a flagrant 2 foul.
Following the ejection, Carrington posted on social media, "WHITE PRIVILEGE @indianafever." However, Cunningham publicly refuted the claim, stating that the league's officiating addresses such incidents irrespective of race. "I think the league is taking care of that. This has nothing to do with race," Cunningham told ESPN after the Fever's 90-86 victory. "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 that Carrington's foul was unnecessary and aimed at gaining attention. "Clearly, I think it was like 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. She added, "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 further commented on Carrington's lack of prior connection to the team's recent controversies, noting, "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."
After the foul, Cunningham was seen being restrained by teammates and staff as she appeared to confront Carrington. While footage suggested Cunningham shouted expletives, she later maintained she was not angry but rather reacting to the play. "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," she stated.
This incident follows recent controversy surrounding Cunningham's comments on transgender athletes, which drew both criticism and support. It also adds to a history of contentious interactions between Carrington and prominent WNBA players. In 2024, Carrington was involved in an incident where she poked Caitlin Clark in the eye, an action that was not called as a foul at the time, though Carrington later appeared to mock the event. Clark had at the time stated the poke was unintentional.
