The 2026 WNBA season has largely been a waiting period for DiJonai Carrington. After being sidelined for over three months, the guard is preparing to debut for the Chicago Sky. This week, Carrington rejoined full practice after missing the season’s first 27 games due to a left foot sprain. The injury persisted from last season into her free agency period. Currently, she is a game-day decision, potentially debuting in Thursday’s match against the Connecticut Sun.
“I learned a lot about myself and my resiliency,” Carrington expressed. “I’m proud of myself. I went through much over this last year, and being close to returning to the court feels surreal.” The injury, sustained during the 2025 playoffs, required initial surgery last October and a secondary procedure in April to remove hardware from her foot. Following a three-month rehabilitation, Carrington is aiming for a return following the All-Star break.
The Sky have a series of five home games, providing Carrington an ideal period to reintegrate into team play. The break allowed her to participate in a full-court scrimmage with teammates, fulfilling a critical step before officially returning to the court. Carrington humorously noted, “Obviously when they’re playing games every other day, I’m not going to be like, ‘All right, I need nine of you to come play five-on-five full court with me after practice.’”
Minnesota Lynx guard DiJonai Carrington and forward Napheesa Collier were out for Game 4 of a WNBA basketball playoff semifinals series against the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Phoenix.(AP Photo/Samantha Chow)
Her recovery was affected by the absence of a central training site for the Sky. Despite commitments from ownership, the new training facility in Bedford Park will not be operational this season. Temporary training at venues like UIC, Loyola, and Wintrust Arena faced varying access to resources. Though the Sky had not set a firm opening date, Carrington did not anticipate the delay would persist all season. As a one-year sign-on, she will re-enter free agency before accessing the new facility.
“You can’t use that as an excuse,” Carrington stated. “Nobody cares. Honestly, I wouldn’t care if it was happening to somebody else on another team. You just have to show up, figure it out, find a way to do the things that you need to do. It hasn’t been ideal but that’s how life goes sometimes.”
The Sky signed Carrington with the expectation of her late-season availability—not until after the All-Star break and possibly not until late August or September. The optimistic projection for her return date has been met, yet head coach Tyler Marsh faces the challenge of midseason reintegration of potential starters. Marsh previously dealt with similar adjustments with players like Courtney Vandersloot and Azurá Stevens returning from injuries, creating roster shifts.
“It is tough. It changes things across the board, in managing those minutes, but we have a flexible team. The communication has been clear on DiJonai’s anticipated role upon her return,” Marsh commented.
As Carrington returns, she plans to lean on established relationships with teammates such as Natasha Cloud and Vandersloot, whom she played alongside in offseason leagues. Although she describes a specific anxiety, Carrington is eager to return, be it against Connecticut, the Las Vegas Aces, or later. “When I feel good, I’m not ducking any challenge,” Carrington declared, expressing readiness to take the court once more.
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