A first-quarter collision between Sophie Cunningham and DiJonai Carrington quickly grew into a larger controversy during the Indiana Fever’s 90-86 victory over the Chicago Sky. Officials ejected Carrington, who is Black, after reviewing her contact with Cunningham, who is white, and assessing a Flagrant 2 foul. Carrington then wrote “WHITE PRIVILEGE” in an all-caps Threads post and tagged the Fever’s account, NBC News reports.
Cunningham rejected the racial implication after the game.
“I think the league is taking care of that,” she said. “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.”
Sophie Cunningham Calls Carrington’s Foul Intentional
Cunningham attempted a layup in transition when Carrington pursued her from behind. Carrington made contact around Cunningham’s head and neck, sending the Fever guard to the floor as the basket dropped.
Officials initially called a foul before reviewing the sequence. They upgraded it to a Flagrant 2, citing the windup, resulting contact and follow-through.
When asked whether she believed Carrington acted intentionally, Cunningham answered, “Absolutely.”
“Clearly, I think it was unnecessary,” Cunningham said. “I’ve never really spoken to her and I have no beef with her, but I guess she has some pent up stuff.”
Cunningham immediately returned to her feet and moved toward Carrington before pushing her. A teammate then restrained Cunningham as the players separated.
“I popped up,” Cunningham said. “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.”
Fever coach Stephanie White agreed that officials made the proper decision but stopped short of supporting Cunningham’s view on intent.
“It was a hard foul,” White said. “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.”
Sky Coach Addresses Post as Seth Curry Weighs In
Sky coach Tyler Marsh offered a different evaluation based on what he witnessed in real time. Marsh said he had not reviewed the sequence again but initially believed Carrington attempted to reach the ball.
“I haven’t looked at that play since, so I really don’t know if it was justified or not,” Marsh said. “But, that’s what I thought in the moment.”
Marsh also learned about Carrington’s Threads message while speaking with reporters. He declined to immediately assess it but indicated that Chicago would address the situation.
“I have to get back to you on that because I’m just now hearing about that,” Marsh said. “So yeah, we’ll handle that.”
NBA veteran Seth Curry focused his response on how quickly Carrington posted after leaving the court, Yahoo reports. Curry mocked the timing from his verified Threads account.
“Threads from the locker room after the ejection is comedy!” Curry wrote.
Carrington’s two-word message moved the conversation beyond whether officials properly assessed the foul. Cunningham directly challenged its racial premise, while White and Marsh delivered contrasting opinions about Carrington’s intent during the play.
Sophie Cunningham Fires Back After DiJonai Carrington Claims ‘White Privilege’