Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington criticized the Indiana Fever on social media after being ejected in a 90-86 loss at the United Center. The incident occurred following a hard foul on Sophie Cunningham with two minutes left in the first quarter.
As Cunningham attempted a breakaway layup, Carrington hit her in the face with her forearm, leading to her fall. Teammate Makayla Timpson helped restrain Cunningham during the exchange of words between the two players.
The referees assessed a flagrant foul on Carrington. On review, it was upgraded to Flagrant 2, causing her ejection. Cunningham did not receive a technical foul despite contact with Carrington after the foul,
the game report stated.
Cunningham made the awarded flagrant free throw and continued the game. Despite leading at the foul’s occurrence, Sky couldn’t recover from Carrington’s early departure. She had scored eight points in less than four minutes before the ejection. Cunningham finished with three points in her 28 minutes of play.
Following the ejection, Carrington expressed her dissatisfaction on social media. From the locker room, she posted on Threads, tagging Indiana Fever’s account with the phrase “white privilege” in capital letters. During the second half, Carrington also posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, about their next game-up, adding a smiley emoji.
Sky’s coach Tyler Marsh stated he was not immediately aware of Carrington’s posts. Our focus is on trying to make the playoffs. DiJonai is passionate but safety remains key. I doubt any ill intent existed,
Marsh mentioned.
Recently, Cunningham and the Fever gained attention for her vocal stance on the inclusion of transgender athletes in sports. Both Marsh and guard Rachel Banham clarified there was no discussion on such issues before the game and denied any connection to the foul.
This game was part of the WNBA’s “Rivals Week,” marked by intense play from both teams. Fever guard Caitlin Clark and head coach Stephanie White received third-quarter technical fouls, enabling the Sky to reduce the Fever’s lead. However, after review, Clark’s technical foul was rescinded, thus avoiding an automatic one-game suspension due to prior technicals.
Sky guard Natasha Cloud also faced a technical foul while arguing from the bench in the fourth quarter. Despite trailing by double digits, the Sky closed in during clutch moments but couldn’t secure a victory, marking their eighth consecutive defeat to the Fever.
Witnessed by 16,065 fans, the match was the team’s fourth scheduled regular-season game at the United Center, aimed at attracting a larger audience. Unfortunately, the Sky remain winless in those games, standing at 0-4.