Chicago Sky Guard Was Tossed After Striking Sophie Cunningham in the Head and Neck, Then Questioned the Call in a Social Media Post
Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington was ejected Saturday after officials upgraded a hard foul on Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham to a Flagrant 2, setting off a heated exchange that continued after the game on social media.
Minutes after leaving the game, Carrington, who is Black, posted the words “WHITE PRIVILEGE” on social media and tagged the Indiana Fever.
The confrontation came during Indiana’s 90-86 victory over Chicago.
According to The Associated Press, Cunningham, who is white, was driving for a fast-break layup in the first quarter when Carrington came from behind and struck her around the head and neck as the shot went in. Cunningham fell to the floor before quickly getting back up and confronting Carrington.
Officials reviewed the play and ruled Carrington’s foul a Flagrant 2, citing the windup, impact and follow-through. The ruling resulted in Carrington’s immediate ejection.
Cunningham Calls Foul ‘Absolutely’ Intentional
After the game, Cunningham said she believed Carrington intentionally fouled her.
“Clearly I think it was unnecessary,” Cunningham said. “I’ve never really spoken to her and I have no beef with her, but I guess she has some pent up stuff.”
After getting up from the floor, Cunningham charged toward Carrington and shoved her before teammates intervened.
“I popped up,” Cunningham said. “I’m not going to let anyone just do that to me. I think everyone knows that. I think that’s why she did it because she wants attention.”
Fever coach Stephanie White did not go as far as Cunningham in describing Carrington’s intent.
“It was a hard foul,” White said. “I don’t think that DiJonai intentionally came out to get her across the neck like she did, but it did happen, and I thought it was the right call.”
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
Sky coach Tyler Marsh also questioned whether the contact deserved an ejection.
Marsh said he had not yet reviewed the replay but believed, from what he saw live, that Carrington was attempting to make a play on the ball.
“I haven’t looked at that play since, so I really don’t know if it was justified or not,” Marsh said. “But, that’s what I thought in the moment.”
When asked about Carrington’s “WHITE PRIVILEGE” post, Marsh said he had only just learned about it.
“I have to get back to you on that because I’m just now hearing about that,” he said. “So yeah, we’ll handle that.”
Cunningham Rejects Race Argument
Cunningham pushed back strongly against Carrington’s suggestion that race influenced the ejection.
“I think the league is taking care of that,” Cunningham said. “This has nothing to do with race. Last year, I did the same thing and I got kicked out. And I deserved to be kicked out. There’s no reason even to play that card.”
Cunningham has become one of the WNBA’s more visible players this season, in part because of her willingness to defend Fever teammate Caitlin Clark during physical games.
She also drew attention last month after telling ESPN that she supports barring transgender girls and women from competing in girls’ and women’s sports. Her comments contributed to small demonstrations outside Fever games in Seattle and Portland.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told teams in a Friday memo that the league plans to continue discussions about transgender participation in women’s basketball.
Marsh said the controversy surrounding Cunningham did not change Chicago’s approach to Saturday’s game.
“We didn’t come into this one with any more or less juice than we’ve had in the last four since the All-Star break,” he said. “Our mindset is trying to win games.”
WNBA Rescinds Caitlin Clark Technical
The Carrington-Cunningham confrontation was not the game’s only officiating controversy.
Fever star Caitlin Clark received a technical foul in the third quarter after making contact with a referee while being forced out of bounds.
It initially marked Clark’s eighth technical of the season, which would have triggered a one-game suspension for Indiana’s next game unless the league rescinded it.
“She said I ran into her,” Clark said during a postgame television interview. “I’ve already watched it on the tape, so we’ll let the league decide. But it wasn’t intentional or anything, so I’m hoping it’s getting rescinded.”
Several hours later, the WNBA did exactly that, rescinding Clark’s technical foul and removing the automatic suspension.
