Carrington ejected after flagrant foul, posts 'WHITE PRIVILIGE' on Threads

DiJonai Carrington was ejected after committing a flagrant two foul on Sophie Cunningham during Chicago Sky’s WNBA defeat by the Indiana Fever in Chicago on 9 August 2026, and shortly after leaving the game she posted "WHITE PRIVILIGE" on the social platform Threads, tagging the Fever.

Carrington, who missed the first 27 games of the season because of injury, caught Cunningham across the left side of the head with her arm as the Fever guard attempted a right-handed layup late in the opening quarter. Cunningham hit the floor hard, rose immediately and was separated from Carrington by team-mates; the foul was upgraded to a flagrant two after review, resulting in Carrington’s automatic ejection. Before being sent off she had scored eight points in four minutes from the bench.

Asked about Carrington’s post after her team won 90-86, Cunningham said: "I think the league is taking care of that." She added: "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."

When told of the post, Sky coach Tyler Marsh said: "I have to get back to you on that because I'm just now hearing about that. So yeah, we'll handle that." Cunningham also commented on the nature of the foul, saying: "Clearly, I think it was unnecessary. I've never really spoken to her and have no beef with her, but I guess she has some pent-up stuff. So, get your [stuff] off. That's fine - I can take it."

Fever coach Stephanie White described the incident as "a hard foul," adding: "I don't think that DiJonai intentionally came out to get her across the neck like she did, but it did happen, and I thought it was the right call." Referee Maj Forsberg said Cunningham was not penalised for her reaction because "we deemed her reaction to the severity of the contact to be acceptable."

Cunningham has become the subject of controversy in recent weeks for her comments on transgender athletes participating in women's sport, and that has prompted people to show up inside and outside Fever games, some to protest against Cunningham and others to express support.

Fever star Caitlin Clark will avoid a one-match suspension after a technical foul called on her during the third quarter was rescinded after the match; the technical foul, assessed when Clark ran into an official after making a pass having been bumped by a defender, would have been her eighth of the season and would have triggered an automatic suspension.