DiJonai Carrington of the Chicago Sky is known for being one of the toughest players in the WNBA. Her tough, physical play style helped her earn recognition by landing on the All-WNBA Defensive Team in 2024.
Now, she’s being talked about for different reasons.
DiJonai Carrington Makes Wild Claims After Ejection
During Saturday’s matchup against the Indiana Fever, Carrington went to try blocking Sophie Cunningham’s shot attempt near the rim. Yet, when Carrington closed in on Cunningham, she ended up swiping head, knocking her to the floor.
She was called for a Flagrant 2 foul for the action, which led to a quick scuffle in which Cunningham appeared to try throwing a punch and contacting Carrington. Yet, it was Carrington who ended up getting ejected, while Cunningham was allowed to remain in the game.
DiJonai Carrington has been ejected with a Flagrant 2 foul on Sophie Cunningham
pic.twitter.com/sOO0J9n92q https://t.co/8FtnGy2X7T— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) August 8, 2026
While she somehow still made the shot through contact, Cunningham was obviously upset about the hard nature of the fall, especially taking a shot to the head and falling to the floor.
Afterward, clearly still steaming from the moment when tensions flared, Carrington took to Threads on social media to pull the race card while targeting the Fever. The game wasn’t even at halftime before Carrington made her post online.
“WHITE PRIVILEGE @indianafever.”
DiJonai Carrington on Threads after being ejected. pic.twitter.com/fCamMSMLo8
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) August 8, 2026
The incident took place in the first quarter of the game too, so the Fire were forced to play nearly a full game without Carrington. While the Fever were able to keep Cunningham in their lineup. It’s possible the WNBA will take further action toward Carrington and/or Cunningham after the game too.
Even though she’s not a starter for her team, Cunningham recently made headlines for surging past Paige Bueckers in popularity, even though the latter has earned more accolades as a superstar talent.
Meanwhile, Carrington was playing in just her fifth game this season after recovering from injury. Still ramping up her activity, she’s been averaging 17 minutes per game but had been expected to play a bigger role against Indiana prior to the ejection. Cunningham has seen the floor more often this season, averaging 23.2 minutes per game across three starts in her 30 appearances.
For now, Carrington feels like she got the short end of the stick. Cunningham will likely have her own reaction to the fracas at the appropriate time too. The good news, if any, is that both players appeared to have come out of this one healthy.
