Sophie Cunningham slams WNBA rival for ‘playing the race card’ after she claimed ‘white privilege’ caused her to be kicked off the court for brutal foul that left Fever star bloodied
Sophie Cunningham has slammed DiJonai Carrington for ‘playing’ the race ‘card’ after the Chicago Sky star appeared to suggest her rival benefited from ‘white privilege’ during Saturday’s shocking fracas.
Carrington was ejected from the clash between the Sky and the Indiana Fever after her nasty foul left Cunningham bloodied and on the floor.
Toward the end of the first quarter, Cunningham drove towards the basket, only to be struck in the face by Carrington’s arm.
The Sky star was assessed a flagrant 2 and sent to the locker room, with both Cunningham and her teammate Caitlin Clark seen waving as Carrington headed to the locker room.
Minutes later, Carrington posted on social media: ‘WHITE PRIVILEGE @indianafever.’ But after the game, which ended in a 90-86 win for the Fever, Cunningham dismissed her rival’s comment.
‘I think the league is taking care of that. This has nothing to do with race,’ she told ESPN. ‘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.’
A furious Sophie Cunningham had to be held back after she was floored by a nasty foul
Cunningham drove towards the basket, only to be struck in the face by DiJonai Carrington
The Indiana Fever star was left bloodied by the incident, which provoked a furious reaction
Carrington, who was ejected, later wrote on social media: ‘WHITE PRIVILEGE @indianafever’
The Daily Mail has contacted the WNBA for comment.
On the incident, Cunningham added: ‘Clearly, I think it was like 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 s*** off. That’s fine. I can take it.’
Cunningham suggested Carrington was simply ‘craving’ attention. ‘I do think when people play the Fever, we’re nationally televised, there’s a lot of eyes on us and people just want attention. And that’s her just trying to get attention,’ she continued.
‘I don’t even know her. She wasn’t even on the team last year when all that was going on… it’s intentional. She wasn’t even on the team. She has no reason to be doing any of that. So, good way to get her kicked out.’
Following the foul, Cunningham immediately climbed to her feet and attempted to confront Carrington, only for teammates and staff to drag her away.
Footage from courtside appeared to show Cunningham calling her rival a ‘dumb a** b****’ and shouting: ‘Why the f*** would you do that?’
After the game, however, Cunningham insisted: ‘I wasn’t even upset… I popped up. I’m not going to let anyone just do that to me. I think everyone knows that. I think that’s why she did it because she wants attention.
‘I mean, s***, people have started craving attention. Like, go get it somewhere else. Go do something good in the world.’
Cunningham and Caitlin Clark were seen waving as Carrington headed to the locker room
Carrington was ejected after officials reviewed the foul and upgraded it to a flagrant 2
Cunningham has been at the center of a sporting and political firestorm in recent weeks after comments she made about transgender athletes.
The Indiana Fever star said she wants to ‘protect young girls’ from ‘biological men,’ sparking demonstrations but also support from the likes of JD Vance.
It is not the first time that Carrington has been embroiled in a controversy involving one of the league’s biggest stars, either.
Back in 2024, while playing for the Connecticut Sun, she left Clark with a black eye after poking the Fever guard in the face.
No foul was called and Clark insisted the eye poke ‘wasn’t intentional,’ while Carrington later appeared to mock the incident by staging a dramatic recreation in a social media stream.