Chicago Sky player DiJonai Carrington was ejected from a game on Saturday after a flagrant 2 foul against Indiana Fever's Sophie Cunningham. The incident, which saw Cunningham hit in the head and neck while shooting a layup, has drawn renewed attention to Carrington's history of on-court clashes and controversial statements.
Following her ejection, Carrington posted "WHITE PRIVILEGE @indianafever" on social media. Cunningham, in response, stated that the league handles such matters and that race was not a factor, suggesting Carrington was seeking 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," Cunningham said.
This is not the first time Carrington has been involved in a high-profile on-court incident. In September 2024, she was noted for an interaction with Caitlin Clark that resulted in Clark sustaining a black eye. Carrington poked Clark in the face during a game, later addressing claims of intentionality during an Instagram Live with then-girlfriend and WNBA player NaLyssa Smith. In that exchange, Carrington stated, "I don't even know why I would intend to hit anybody in the eye. That doesn't even make sense to me. But no, I didn't. I didn't know I hit her, actually."
The WNBA Players' Association criticized journalist Christine Brennan for her line of questioning regarding the incident with Clark, calling it a "blatant attempt to bait a professional athlete into participating in a narrative that is false and designed to fuel racist, homophobic and misogynistic vitriol on social media." USA Today defended Brennan, asserting that the interview aimed to get the player's direct perspective.
Further scrutiny arose in June 2025 when Carrington was assessed a flagrant-1 foul for excessive contact with Skylar Diggins of the Seattle Storm. Around the same period, she received criticism for screaming in a referee's face, an act that prompted a security guard to intervene. Carrington later addressed the