Sophie Cunningham has had no shortage of chaos following her lately, and Saturday’s road trip to Chicago added a new chapter. The Fever guard was fouled hard by Chicago Sky forward DiJonai Carrington in the first quarter of the game.
The incident resulted in a heated clash between the two players and earned an ejection for the Sky forward. Cunningham, meanwhile, had a blunt take on what happened.
Sophie Cunningham Calls Out DiJonai Carrington After Heated First-Quarter Clash vs. Sky
The sequence unfolded with about two minutes left in the first quarter of the Fever-Sky matchup.
Cunningham was charging toward the basket on a fast break when she went up for a layup. Carrington came from behind and made contact with Cunningham’s face with her left forearm, sending the Fever guard crashing to the floor.
Cunningham’s shot still dropped, but the contact sent her crashing hard to the floor.
DiJonai Carrington was assessed a Flagrant 2 and was ejected from the game after this play. pic.twitter.com/WRapu4lqHX
— ESPN (@espn) August 8, 2026
Cunningham popped up quickly, and the two players got tangled up, exchanging words at close range before the Fever guard threw a swipe in Carrington’s direction. Fever forward Makayla Timpson stepped in first to pull her back.
Officials initially deemed it a Flagrant 1, but after review, upgraded it to a Flagrant 2, which was enough to eject Carrington from the game entirely.
Cunningham did not appear to believe the incident was accidental, arguing that Carrington was trying to get 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 [expletive] off. That’s fine. I can take it,” Cunningham said about the incident, according to ESPN’s Kareem Copeland.
“Yeah, 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,” Cunningham added.
Sophie Cunningham on the whole incident with DiJonai Carrington:
“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 shit off. That’s fine. I can take it.”
“Yeah, it’s…— Kareem Copeland (@kareemcopeland) August 8, 2026
“I don’t even know her. She wasn’t even on the team last year when all that was going on. But 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,” Cunningham continued. “And that’s her just trying to get attention.”
Carrington, meanwhile, tried to stir the pot further. Shortly after being sent to the locker room, she posted “WHITE PRIVILEGE @indianafever” on Threads.
The post was later deleted.
Carrington then posted the date of the next Sky-Fever matchup, August 23, on X, likely challenging Cunningham.
But Cunningham pushed back directly on the idea that race played any role in the ejection.
“I think the league is taking care of that. This has nothing to do with race,” Cunningham said. “Last year, I did the same thing and I got kicked out. And I deserved to be kicked out.”
The whole exchange landed in the middle of a stretch that’s already been loud for Cunningham off the court.
She’s been at the center of the WNBA’s ongoing debate over transgender athletes since her comments went public after speaking out in an ESPN interview.
The Fever guard has faced boos during Indiana’s recent road games. She has also received support from fans and political figures, including Vice President J.D. Vance, making her one of the most talked-about players in the WNBA in recent weeks.
On the floor Saturday, though, she was mostly a non-factor, finishing with just 3 points and 1 rebound in 17 minutes.
It’s part of a rough stretch in her recent production.
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Cunningham has failed to score more than three points in three straight outings, a span that included back-to-back losses to the Minnesota Lynx and Las Vegas Aces before the Fever snapped the skid against the Sky.
Whether the off-court noise is bleeding into her play on the court is impossible to say for certain, but Cunningham remains in the spotlight nonetheless.
