Sophie Cunningham hits back after DiJonai Carrington’s ‘White Privilege’ post
CHICAGO: A heated Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky matchup has sparked a fresh controversy in the WNBA after Sky guard DiJonai Carrington was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul on Sophie Cunningham and later posted “WHITE PRIVILEGE” on social media.
The incident happened during Saturday’s game in Chicago when Cunningham was driving toward the basket on a fast break. Carrington chased her down and struck Cunningham high around the head and neck, sending the Fever guard to the floor.
After a video review, officials upgraded the foul to a Flagrant 2, which carries an automatic ejection. Cunningham immediately confronted Carrington before teammates stepped in to separate the players.
Carrington later posted the words “WHITE PRIVILEGE” on Threads while tagging the Indiana Fever, bringing a racial dimension to an already tense incident.
Cunningham strongly rejected that interpretation after the game.
“I think the league is taking care of that. This has nothing to do with race,” Cunningham said, pointing out that she had previously been ejected for a similar incident and accepted the punishment at the time.
She also described Carrington’s foul as unnecessary and said she believed there was intent behind the contact.
“I’ve never really spoken to her and have no beef with her,” Cunningham said, adding that she believed Carrington had some pent-up frustration.
Despite the confrontation, the Fever guard’s coach offered a more measured assessment of the incident.
Indiana coach Stephanie White agreed that the Flagrant 2 call was appropriate but said she did not believe Carrington deliberately targeted Cunningham’s neck. White previously coached Carrington during their time with the Connecticut Sun.
Carrington’s own coach, Tyler Marsh, also said he initially believed the play was a legitimate attempt to make a defensive play and had not immediately considered it a Flagrant 2. He said the team would address Carrington’s social media post internally.
The controversy comes as Cunningham has already attracted considerable attention away from the basketball court because of her public comments about transgender athletes in women’s sports. Her views have prompted both supporters and protesters to appear around Fever games in recent weeks.
The game itself ended in a 90-86 victory for Indiana, while Carrington’s early exit dramatically changed the contest. She had scored eight points in only four minutes before being ejected. Cunningham finished with three points in 17 minutes, with all three points coming from the free throws awarded after the flagrant foul.
The latest clash adds another chapter to the increasingly intense rivalry surrounding the Fever, which has attracted enormous national attention.
For now, the basketball incident has moved beyond the court, with questions about the foul, Carrington’s social media post and the wider debate surrounding Cunningham continuing to generate discussion across the WNBA.
