DiJonai Carrington, a Chicago Sky guard, was ejected from a WNBA game on August 8, 2026, after officials upgraded a hard foul on Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham to a Flagrant 2. Carrington then posted “WHITE PRIVILEGE” on Threads and tagged the Fever, reigniting scrutiny of a player already known for aggressive, contact-heavy defense. The Fever won the game 114-106 in overtime.
The ejection capped a turbulent stretch for Carrington, who returned to the WNBA in late July after nearly a year sidelined by foot surgery. It also extended a pattern of contentious moments dating back to her time with the Connecticut Sun, when contact with Caitlin Clark’s eye during the 2024 playoffs first drew national attention to her physical play.
The Foul and Ejection
With about two minutes left in the first quarter and the Sky leading 18-17, Cunningham broke free on a fast break toward the rim. Carrington caught up and struck her in the side of the head with her left arm as Cunningham finished the layup. Cunningham fell, got up quickly, and confronted Carrington, leading to a brief shoving match before officials and coaching staff separated the two players.
Referees reviewed the play and upgraded it from a common foul to a Flagrant 2, triggering an automatic ejection. Carrington had been scoring efficiently off the bench, going 3-for-3 for eight points in four minutes before she was sent to the locker room.
Minutes later, Carrington posted “WHITE PRIVILEGE” in capital letters on Threads and tagged the Fever’s account. She did not name Cunningham directly or clarify whether the post referred to the officiating, Cunningham, or the organization. In a separate post, she referenced the teams’ next scheduled meeting on August 23.
Context Around the Incident
The foul occurred against the backdrop of DiJonai Carrington rising public profile in the debate over transgender athletes in women’s sports. Cunningham, who joined the Fever this season after six years with the Phoenix Mercury, has said she does not harbor hatred toward transgender people but believes protecting girls’ and women’s sports is “common sense.” Supporters held a rally outside the venue that day, while counterprotesters gathered nearby.
A day before the ejection, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association issued a statement denouncing “hate, abuse, and demonization” of the transgender community, without naming Cunningham directly. No confirmed evidence ties Carrington’s foul or her social media post directly to that debate, and the connection between the two remains unclear.
A Pattern of Physical Incidents
Saturday’s ejection extended a run of contentious moments involving Carrington, several of which drew national attention well beyond the arena.
| Incident | Date | Outcome |
| Eye contact with Caitlin Clark | September 2024 playoffs | Both players called it accidental; drew widespread criticism |
| Hair pull on Sarah Ashlee Barker | June 2025 | Ruled a common foul, not a flagrant |
| Flagrant-1 on Skylar Diggins | June 2025 | Carrington said the call was later rescinded on appeal |
| Flagrant 2 on Sophie Cunningham | August 8, 2026 | Ejection followed by “white privilege” post |
Despite the criticism these plays have generated, Carrington’s defensive intensity earned her the 2024 WNBA Most Improved Player award and a spot on the All-Defensive First Team, the same season she posted career-high numbers with Connecticut.
The Long Road Back to Chicago
DiJonai Carrington signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Sky’s official roster in April 2026 after trades sent her from Connecticut to Dallas in February 2025 and then to Minnesota at the trade deadline that August, in a deal that sent Diamond Miller, Karlie Samuelson, and a future second-round pick to Connecticut. With the Lynx, she suffered a significant left mid-foot sprain during the first round of the 2025 playoffs that ended her season. She underwent surgery that fall and later had hardware removed, a recovery that also forced her to miss the 2026 Unrivaled season.
She missed the first 27 games of Chicago’s 2026 schedule while rehabilitating. Carrington made her Sky debut on July 30 against her former team, the Connecticut Sun, scoring nine points and recording a key block in 17 minutes off the bench as Chicago won. Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said the team was glad to add her speed, defense, versatility, and competitive edge even while she continued rehabbing.
Over her next three games, she scored 10 points against Las Vegas, a season-high 16 against Phoenix, and 6 against Los Angeles, averaging roughly 17 minutes. Through four games back, she sat at 10.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, and Chicago went 3-1 in that stretch as the team pushed for a late playoff berth. Carrington has described the 10-month recovery as one of the most challenging stretches of her career, both physically and mentally, and said she has focused on playing freely once back on the floor.
DiJonai Carrington Off-Court Controversy
Beyond basketball, DiJonai Carrington 2026 season included a separate controversy. In late July, she posted allegations on Threads accusing her ex-girlfriend, Las Vegas Aces forward NaLyssa Smith, of infidelity with multiple WNBA players. The claims went viral, but no independent evidence has confirmed them, and neither Smith nor the players named have issued public responses.
DiJonai Carrington Career Path
DiJonai Victoria Carrington was born January 8, 1998, in San Diego, California. At Horizon Christian Academy, she scored more than 2,000 career points, averaging 18.8 points, 13.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.5 steals as a senior, earning McDonald’s All-American and Jordan Brand Classic honors.
She played four seasons at Stanford from 2016 to 2020, helping the Cardinal win Pac-12 Tournament titles in 2017 and 2019 and earning All-Pac-12 recognition, averaging 14.0 points and 7.5 rebounds during her standout junior season. She transferred to Baylor as a graduate student for the 2020-21 season, where she won Big 12 Sixth Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors. Detailed biographical and collegiate records are available on her Wikipedia entry. Her father, Darren Carrington, played eight NFL seasons after being drafted by the Denver Broncos, and her mother competed in track at Northern Arizona.
The Connecticut Sun drafted DiJonai Carrington 20th overall in the 2021 WNBA Draft. She spent four seasons there, gradually earning more playing time before a breakout 2024 campaign in which she started all 39 games she played and posted career highs of 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.56 steals in 29.6 minutes. She led the league in games with five or more steals and helped Connecticut post a franchise-record 28 wins that season.
After the trades to Dallas and Minnesota in 2025, she averaged 10.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in 20 games with Dallas, and 9.5 points and 3.6 rebounds combined across 31 games that year before her season-ending injury. Her full statistics can be viewed on her official WNBA player profile.
Honors and Recognition
| Year | Honor | Level |
| 2016 | McDonald’s All-American | High school |
| 2019 | All-Pac-12 Team | NCAA, Stanford |
| 2021 | Big 12 Sixth Player and Newcomer of the Year | NCAA, Baylor |
| 2022 | All-Defensive Team | Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball |
| 2024 | WNBA Most Improved Player | WNBA |
| 2024 | WNBA All-Defensive First Team | WNBA |
What Comes Next
The WNBA has not announced additional discipline beyond the ejection. DiJonai Carrington and the Fever are scheduled to meet again on August 23 in Chicago, a matchup that carries added weight after Saturday’s confrontation and Carrington’s own social media reference to it. The Sky continue fighting for a late playoff spot as Carrington works to build on the defensive intensity and scoring spark she has provided since returning from a lengthy injury layoff.
