The WNBA's latest controversy shows no signs of cooling off. Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington is back in the spotlight, this time defending her social media activity after a heated ejection over the weekend.
Carrington was tossed from Saturday's game against the Indiana Fever after a Flagrant 2 foul on Sophie Cunningham, catching her hard in the neck area. The call was initially a Flagrant 1 but was upgraded, leading to her exit. Almost immediately, Carrington took to social media, posting the words "white privilege" and tagging the Fever. The internet, predictably, went into overdrive.
Many fans interpreted the post as Carrington blaming race for the ejection—she is Black, Cunningham is white. But Carrington says that's not what she meant at all. In a lengthy response, she leaned heavily on her academic credentials to push back against the backlash.
"I've never once claimed that the assessment of the foul was white privilege (that was your assumption). Try exercising your critical thinking skills, I know you studied psych," she wrote. "Furthermore, I'm the LAST thing from ignorant or asinine when it comes to speaking on 'white privilege', do ya research on that one. I actually went to school, one of the top universities might I add, to educate myself on this exact subject. I would never use that term as a rhetorical weapon knowing the historical and social weight it holds without having the proper evidence to substantiate it."
Carrington's college résumé is indeed impressive—she played at Stanford and Baylor before being drafted 20th overall by the Connecticut Sun in 2021. That Stanford education is now front and center in her defense.
Still, fans aren't satisfied. They want to know what she actually meant if not race. Comments flooded her timeline: "We all know what you meant and because you are being called out on it, you are backtracking. What a fraud," one wrote. Another added, "You can't say this and not explain why you said." A third simply asked, "Well…what did you mean, then?"
Even former ESPN anchor Linda Cohn weighed in, tweeting, "At least you have a fan in Fever Head Coach Stephanie White." White faced her own backlash for appearing to defend Carrington's aggressive style in a postgame press conference.
This incident is just the latest chapter in what's been a drama-filled WNBA season. The calls for a suspension have been loud, while others have defended Carrington's play. Meanwhile, the firestorm over her tweet continues to burn.
One thing is certain: the WNBA is never short on drama, and Carrington is at the center of it once again.
