Sophie Cunningham spoke out against Chicago Sky star DiJonai Carrington after the Fever’s 90-86 win on Saturday.
Carrington was ejected from the game in the first half after smacking Cunningham across the face during Cunningham’s layup attempt.
Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington commits a flagrant 2 foul against Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham. (Kamil Krzaczynski/Imagn Images)
“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 s— off. That’s fine. I can take it… Yeah, it’s intentional,” Cunningham said, per ESPN’s Kareem Copeland on X.
“She has no reason to be doing any of that. So good way to get her kicked out. 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. And that’s her just trying to get attention.”
After the foul, Cunningham and Carrington were seen getting in each other’s faces and yelling, as referees had to separate them.
Sophie Cunningham confronts DiJonai Carrington after the latter committed a hard foul that led to her being ejected in the first quarter of Saturday’s game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky. (Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images)
After Carrington’s ejection, she went on Threads and wrote “White Privilege” and tagged the Indiana Fever. Cunningham rejected Carrington’s suggestion that the ejection had anything to do with race.
“I think the league is taking care of that. 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 added.
Meanwhile, Cunningham’s own coach, Stephanie White, defended Carrington in the post-game press conference, while agreeing the flagrant foul and ejection was the right call.
“Yeah, I mean, look, it was a hard foul. 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. But you know, one of the things about Nay is that she’s gonna play her butt off, man. She’s gonna compete. Nobody’s gonna go walking in for a layup. And so, I don’t oppose the hard foul. But I also don’t think that she intentionally went for the neck,” White said.
White declined to comment on Carrington’s “White privilege” post.
White previously coached Carrington when both were with the Connecticut Sun in 2023-24. In the 2024 playoffs, Carrington poked Fever phenom Caitlin Clark in the eye.
Carrington’s current coach, Sky coach Tyler Marsh, also defended Carrington and said he believed it wasn’t a flagrant foul in the moment.
DiJonai Carrington of the Chicago Sky was ejected after a brutal foul on Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever. (Kamil Krzaczynski/Imagn Images)
“In the moment, I thought that she made a play on a ball. I didn’t think it warranted a flagrant 2, I didn’t see it in the replay. So that was my initial thoughts,” Marsh said. “I haven’t looked at that play since, so I really don’t know if it was justified or not.”
Marsh also declined to comment on Carrington’s “White privilege” post. He also rejected the notion that Carrington may have come into the game with more emotion to play against Cunningham due to Cunningham’s recent public stance in support of protecting women’s sports.
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“I don’t think there is ill intent on our end,” he added.
Chicago Sky head coach Tyler Marsh called it a joke after Kamilla Cardoso took 15 shots without a single free throw, adding to growing frustration over WNBA officiating. (Getty Images)
The incident between the two players unfolded as Cunningham remained at the center of a widening political debate. Supporters held a fourth rally outside the venue of a Fever road game on Saturday, while counterprotesters also gathered near the United Center.
Cunningham has said she does not harbor hatred toward transgender people but believes protecting girls and women in sports is “common sense.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt previously defended Cunningham, saying the backlash against her was “astonishing.”
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With another Cunningham rally already scheduled ahead of the Fever’s Aug. 22 game against the New York Liberty, controversy is bound to surround Cunningham and Indiana beyond Chicago.
Meanwhile, Carrington already had a contentious history with the Fever before Saturday. During the 2024 season, she mocked Caitlin Clark for what she believed was flopping and later called Indiana supporters “the nastiest fans in the W” after receiving racist abuse from some online users.
Carrington then struck Clark in the eye while defending a pass during the 2024 playoffs, leaving the Fever star with a black eye. Both players said the contact was accidental, although Carrington later drew renewed criticism after appearing to joke about the controversy during an Instagram Live video.
Carrington has also responded to accusations that she plays dirty, insisting she simply plays aggressively and always attempts to make a play on the ball. Beyond basketball, she has drawn attention for wearing an explicit anti-President Donald Trump sweatshirt and urging WNBA players to oppose Trump administration policies affecting women and the LGBTQ community.