On Saturday, August 9th, 2026, Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington was ejected from a WNBA game against the Indiana Fever after committing a hard foul on Fever guard Sophie Cunningham. The foul occurred late in the first quarter of the game, which Indiana won 90-86.

According to the Associated Press, Cunningham was leading a fast-break layup when Carrington chased her down and struck her across the face and neck, causing Cunningham to fall as the shot went in. Officials initially called a flagrant 1 foul but upgraded it to a flagrant 2 after review, citing the windup, impact, and follow-through of the play. Carrington was assessed the flagrant 2 and ejected.

Following the ejection, Carrington posted the words “WHITE PRIVILEGE” on her Threads social media account and tagged the Indiana Fever, suggesting a racial element to the call. Fever coach Stephanie White defended the referees' decision but did not assign intent to Carrington, stating, “It was a hard foul. 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.” White also said she did not believe Carrington intentionally targeted Cunningham’s neck.

Carrington had started the game strongly, scoring eight points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting in roughly the first four minutes, according to Yahoo Sports. Meanwhile, ESPN reported a comment dismissing the racial claim, saying, “There’s no reason even to play that card.”

Sources