Carrington ejected for flagrant foul on Cunningham
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- DiJonai Carrington was assessed a flagrant 2 and ejected after review upgraded the original flagrant 1, with officials citing a "windup and follow-through with a high potential for injury on a player in a vulnerable position."
- Sophie Cunningham was ahead on a breakaway layup in the first quarter when Carrington chased her down and swiped her left arm across Cunningham's face and neck area, causing Cunningham to land on her backside without breaking her fall.
- Cunningham immediately confronted Carrington, jumping in her face and giving a shove before teammates Makayla Timpson and security intervened during a light fracas.
- Carrington, who had scored eight points in the first quarter, posted on her Threads account afterward: "WHITE PRIVILEGE @indianafever," as the official announcement drew her visible disbelief before she headed to the locker room.
- Cunningham smiled and clapped after the ruling was announced before teammate Mo Billings guided her back to the bench, with Indiana going on to win 90-86.
- Cunningham has been the center of recent controversy over comments in a published ESPN article voicing support for barring transgender girls and women from girls' and women's sports, with rallies for and against her appearing at arenas in Seattle, Portland, and Chicago.
Why it matters: The flagrant-2 ejection cost the Sky a productive first-quarter scorer (8 points) and likely disciplinary follow-up from the league, while Carrington's public accusation of racial bias signals that the incident will be read through the lens of Cunningham's ongoing national controversy over transgender athlete eligibility — a charged backdrop already drawing rallies at multiple WNBA venues.
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