Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington ignited controversy during a WNBA clash against the Indiana Fever on Saturday night, when she was ejected from the game following a hard hit on league star Sophie Cunningham. Carrington then sparked further controversy by blaming the ejection on “white privilege” in a social media post.
Late in the first quarter, with roughly two minutes remaining, the Fever secured a loose ball following an errant pass by the Sky. Monique Billings collected the ball and advanced it ahead to Sophie Cunningham, who was streaking toward the basket on a fast break.
Cunningham then elevated for a right-handed layup attempt, while Carrington sprinted close behind her in an effort to contest the shot. Carrington’s left arm made contact with the left side of Cunningham’s head, face, jaw, and neck area as Cunningham was in the air, which caused her to hit the ground.
She rose immediately and moved toward Carrington near the baseline. The two players exchanged words and made physical contact, with Cunningham pushing or attempting to swipe at Carrington. Fever teammate Makayla Timpson, along with other staff members, intervened to separate them and prevent further escalation.
Officials initially signaled a common foul or flagrant-1. After a video review initiated by the referees, the call was upgraded to a flagrant-2 foul. The review determined that the contact involved windup, impact, and follow-through and was unnecessary and excessive against a player in a vulnerable position. A flagrant-2 foul results in automatic ejection, and Carrington was removed from the game.
Cunningham was not assessed a technical foul for her reaction, while officials later stated that the response was deemed acceptable given the severity of the contact.
Photographs taken on the sideline shortly after the play showed visible blood around Cunningham’s mouth and lower lip, consistent with the impact to the facial area. Despite the contact and the blood, Cunningham remained in the contest and continued to play.
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WNBA player DiJonai Carrington blames “white privilege” after being ejected for a hard foul on Sophie Cunningham.
Carrington was given a Flagrant 2 foul and was immediately ejected.
She then apparently rushed to the locker room so she could blame “white privilege.” pic.twitter.com/f97XWEXlEx
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 8, 2026
Within minutes of her ejection, Carrington blamed the ejection on “WHITE PRIVILEGE” in a post on the text-based app Threads. The post also tagged the Indiana Fever organization.
Following the final buzzer, Cunningham addressed both the foul and the social media statements. On the contact itself, she indicated that she viewed it as unnecessary and intentional, noting that she had never spoken with Carrington previously and had no personal conflict with her. She suggested the action may have stemmed from unspecified prior matters and that it appeared intended to draw attention, given the national television audience for Fever games.
“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,” she added in reference to the “white privilege” comment.
The sequence took place several weeks after Cunningham had publicly expressed support for excluding biological males from women’s sports competitions. In remarks published in an ESPN profile last month, she stated that she wanted to protect young girls in locker rooms and in sports settings who should not have to compete against biological men, describing the stance as a matter of common sense.
