Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington voiced her frustration towards the Indiana Fever on social media following her ejection from a game at the United Center. The ejection followed a foul on Sophie Cunningham during the 90-86 defeat. Carrington’s foul took place in the first quarter when she approached Cunningham from behind on a breakaway layup, making no contact with the ball but hitting Cunningham’s face.
The referees deemed Carrington’s action a flagrant foul, which was later elevated to a Flagrant 2, leading to her ejection. Cunningham, though she made contact with Carrington in the altercation, didn’t receive a technical foul. She hit the resulting free throw and the game continued. Despite leading before Carrington’s exit, the Sky struggled without her; she had scored eight points in under four minutes. Cunningham contributed three points over 28 minutes.
In the locker room, Carrington expressed displeasure over the ejection through social media. She posted “white privilege” prominently and referenced the Indiana Fever. During the second half, Carrington used X, previously Twitter, to highlight the teams’ next game on Aug. 23, including a smiley face.
Coach Tyler Marsh was unaware of Carrington’s posts immediately post-game. The situation attracted attention, partly due to Cunningham and the Fever being recently involved in discussions on the inclusion of transgender athletes. Marsh and guard Rachel Banham stated that the topic wasn’t addressed during preparations for the game. Marsh emphasized that the team focused solely on playoff aspirations. “DiJonai plays with a lot of passion,” Marsh noted, adding they always aim to ensure player safety.
“We did not bring any additional emotion into this matchup compared to previous games since the All-Star break,” Marsh stated. “Our primary concern remains the wellbeing of players like Sophie.”
Promoted as part of the WNBA’s “Rivals Week,” the game retained an intense atmosphere. During the third quarter, Fever guard Caitlin Clark and head coach Stephanie White received technical fouls, which shifted momentum briefly in Sky’s favor. Review post-game led to a reversal of Clark’s technical, avoiding a one-game suspension due to technical foul accumulation. Sky guard Natasha Cloud also received a technical for disputing a call from the sideline in the fourth quarter.
The Sky narrowed multiple significant point gaps but fell short at crucial moments, marking their eighth consecutive defeat to the Fever. Saturday’s game, with 16,065 attendees, was the fourth regular-season event the Sky hosted at the United Center to attract larger audiences. The Sky remains winless in these attempts.
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