DiJonai Carrington Deals With Upsetting Personal News Before Wings-Mercury Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Liz Lindain | Last updated Jun 11, 2025 8:27 PM ET

Before stepping onto the court in Phoenix to play against the Phoenix Mercury, Dallas Wings guard DiJonai Carrington made an emotional stop that grounded her in something much deeper than basketball.

She decided to visit the grave of her grandfather in Phoenix, who passed away in November 2024. The guard posted a colleague on her Instagram story of her visiting the grave and some of her favorite photos of him on Wednesday afternoon.

"first time/game in phx w/o my grandpa," she wrote on the top left corner of the Instagram story. "literally came to every game."

Awww Nai sending you hugs and kisses I know today is so hard for you. pic.twitter.com/6SD9ZKa6i0
— dijonai carrington defender (@dijonaiupdate) June 11, 2025

When her grandfather passed away in November, Carrington honored him with a heartfelt Instagram story filled with old family photos, including one of him proudly wearing a Connecticut Sun jersey. At the time, she was playing for the Sun.

"He fought so hard and through so much pain. My only solace is knowin that he can now rest in peace with grandma and the Lord. I'll never have to right words to express what he means to me. Really my guy fr. & never missed a game in phx from a kid to the wnba. Thank you for fighting so I could be by your side for your last days on this earth," Carrington wrote. "My heart is just broken, everything is broken but I know God is a God of love and I have to hold onto that."

The Wings are scheduled to play against the Mercury at the PHX Arena on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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