Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington received a flagrant-2 ejection during the first quarter of a matchup against the Indiana Fever on Saturday, with Indiana securing a 90-86 victory. The incident occurred when Carrington attempted to block a breakaway layup by Cunningham but made contact with Cunningham’s face, causing her to fall hard to the court. Officials initially ruled the play a flagrant-1 foul before upgrading it to a flagrant-2 upon review, resulting in Carrington’s ejection.
At the time of her removal, Carrington had registered eight points in four minutes off the bench. The ejection was particularly notable as it marked only Carrington’s fifth game with the Sky this season following a left foot sprain that delayed her debut. After being ejected, Carrington posted on social media with references to the incident and tagged the Fever, later posting the date of their next scheduled matchup.
The play drew differing interpretations regarding intent. Indiana coach Stephanie White, who previously worked with Carrington in Connecticut, acknowledged the physical nature of the foul but stated she did not believe it was intentional. Cunningham, however, characterized the contact as deliberate and suggested Carrington was seeking attention. She further stated the ejection had no connection to race, referencing her own similar ejection from a previous season.
The incident occurred amid ongoing controversy involving Cunningham’s recent public statements regarding transgender participation in women’s sports. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert distributed a memo to players and teams this week addressing the league’s approach to the matter, with the topic scheduled for discussion at an upcoming meeting with league presidents and general managers. Chicago coach Tyler Marsh emphasized his team’s focus on playoff positioning and expressed hope that Cunningham was uninjured, stating he did not believe there was ill intent involved.
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