Divisions appear to be deepening over Sophie Cunningham’s comments about trans athletes. These tensions spilled onto the court during Saturday’s game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky.
The Fever defeated the Sky 90-86, but the game was highlighted by a hard foul on Cunningham by DiJonai Carrington in the first quarter. Cunningham quickly got back up and confronted Carrington, requiring the two to be separated.
Riley Gaines Attacks DiJonai Carrington After Foul On Sophie Cunningham
Carrington was given a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game. After the game, Carrington posted “WHITE PRIVILEGE” on social media, tagging the Fever.
Hard fouls in the WNBA have become a hot-button issue, with many questioning how Cunningham’s Fever teammate, Caitlin Clark, is officiated. Some believe Clark isn’t treated fairly, while others think she receives preferential treatment.
After the post, former swimmer Riley Gaines discussed the situation and had quite a take on it.
“I would say that this is black privilege, to be totally honest with you,” Gaines said on Fox News. “Her post this comment right after assaulting Sophie Cunningham on the court is actually black privilege because she knows the WNBA won’t do a single thing of significance about this.”
Assaulting a white girl and defending it by claiming white privilege is the definition of black privilege pic.twitter.com/1tnf7seRED
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) August 9, 2026
Gaines then speculated on what would happen if Cunningham made a similar comment.
“Imagine if the roles were reversed and Sophie made a comment similar to this, then she’d likely never play again,” Gaines said.
Assaulting a white girl and defending it by claiming white privilege is the definition of black privilege pic.twitter.com/1tnf7seRED
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) August 9, 2026
Gaines went on to discuss Toronto Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello calling Angel Reese a “protected species” to referees last month. She compared the two situations, claiming they were very similar, and called for Carrington to be suspended as well.
This stems from Gaines positioning herself as an advocate for women by arguing that trans athletes should not be able to compete in women’s sports. Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer, tied for fifth place with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in the 200-yard freestyle at the NCAA championships in 2022.
Cunningham’s recent comments have only added fuel to the fire, despite there being no transgender players in the WNBA. Cunningham has stated in recent interviews that she wants to stick to sports, but given the current political climate in America, that seems nearly impossible.
Tensions rose even higher over the weekend with former players Enes Kanter and Royce White saying they would be declaring for the 2027 WNBA Draft.
Carrington scored 8 points in just 4 minutes before being ejected on Saturday, while Cunningham logged 17 minutes, scored 3 points, and was a -28 for the evening.
Kelsey Mitchell led the way for the Fever, scoring 27 points, while Clark had another huge night with 26 points and 11 assists.
