Chicago’s DiJonai Carrington ejected after hard foul on Sophie Cunningham

By Liam Tremblay — 9 August 2026 — 3 min read

Incident on the Court

Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington was ejected from a recent WNBA game against the Indiana Fever following a hard foul on Sophie Cunningham. The incident occurred late in the first quarter in Chicago when Cunningham was attempting a right-handed layup. Carrington made contact with Cunningham across the left side of her head with her arm, causing Cunningham to fall to the court.

After the foul, Cunningham immediately got up and confronted Carrington, leading to teammates intervening to separate them. The play was reviewed by officials and subsequently upgraded to a Flagrant 2 foul. This decision resulted in Carrington‘s automatic ejection from the game. Prior to her ejection, Carrington had scored eight points in four minutes after coming off the bench.

Post-Game Reactions and Social Media Post

Shortly after her ejection, DiJonai Carrington posted the phrase “WHITE PRIVILEGE” on the social media platform Threads, tagging the Indiana Fever in her post. When asked about the social media post after her team’s 90-86 victory, Sophie Cunningham stated that she believed the league was addressing the matter. Cunningham emphasized that the situation had “nothing to do with race,” drawing a comparison to a previous incident where she was ejected for a similar foul, which she felt was deserved.

Sky coach Tyler Marsh indicated that he was just learning about Carrington‘s social media post and would address it. Regarding the foul itself, Cunningham described it as “unnecessary.” She mentioned having no prior interaction or “beef” with Carrington, suggesting that Carrington might have had “pent-up stuff.”

Fever coach Stephanie White commented on the foul, calling it a “hard foul.” However, White expressed that she did not believe DiJonai Carrington intentionally aimed to hit Cunningham across the neck, though the contact did occur, and she considered the Flagrant 2 call to be appropriate. Referee Maj Forsberg clarified that Cunningham was not penalized for her reaction to the foul because her response was deemed acceptable given the severity of the contact.

Cunningham also reflected on the incident, stating, “I’m not going to let anyone just do that to me, I think everyone knows that.” She speculated that Carrington might have been seeking attention, especially given the increased scrutiny on Fever games due to national television coverage. Cunningham pointed out that Carrington was not even on the opposing team during a previous incident where Cunningham herself was ejected for a hard foul.

Broader Context and Other Incidents

Sophie Cunningham has been a subject of discussion in recent weeks due to her comments on transgender athletes participating in women’s sports. This stance has led to both protests against and support for Cunningham at Fever games. During the game in Chicago, Cunningham received a mixed reaction of cheers and boos upon entering the game.

In a separate development during the same game, Fever star Caitlin Clark was assessed a technical foul in the third quarter after making contact with an official. This technical foul, which would have been her eighth of the season, typically triggers an automatic one-match suspension. However, the technical foul called on Clark was later rescinded after the match, meaning she will avoid the suspension.

Clark stated that the contact with the official was inadvertent and that no words were exchanged, expressing hope that the foul would be rescinded. Fever coach Stephanie White described the technical foul on Clark as a “bad call.”

The game concluded with the Indiana Fever defeating the Chicago Sky by a score of 90-86.

Source: bbc.com