Sophie Cunningham-DiJonai Carrington incident adds to WNBA drama

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sophie Cunningham-DiJonai Carrington incident adds to WNBA drama

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Aug 9, 2026 1:20 PM ET

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham wishes WNBA media would de-emphasize "drama" and emphasize basketball. With the league producing so much of it, the attention won't shift.

Cunningham was involved in some drama in Indiana's road game against the Chicago Sky on Saturday. During the first quarter of the Fever's 90-86 win, Sky guard DiJonai Carrington decked Cunningham while she was elevating for a layup. After they exchanged words, Carrington was assessed a flagrant 2 and ejected.

The beef didn't end there. It sizzled even more after the game.

Sophie Cunningham reacts to DiJonai Carrington's foul, social media post

After she exited, Carrington accused Cunningham of "White Privilege" on Instagram's Threads and tagged the Fever's team account. The Indiana standout recently made controversial comments about transgender athletes, telling ESPN, she wants to "protect young girls in a locker room" and they "shouldn't have to go against biological men." While it's unclear if that motivated Carrington's message, other athletes have called out Cunningham for this take, including former U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe.

DiJonai Carrington was assessed a Flagrant 2 and was ejected from the game after this play. pic.twitter.com/WRapu4lqHX
— ESPN (@espn) August 8, 2026

Cunningham responded to Carrington's social media post in her postgame news conference.

"I think the league is taking care of that," Cunningham said (h/t ESPN's Kareem Copeland). "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."

Carrington didn't speak with the media after the game. Cunningham added they had no past feud before Saturday's incident.

"Clearly, I think it was unnecessary," she said. "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."

Apparently, Carrington hasn't resolved her issues with Cunningham. On Saturday, Carrington posted Aug. 23 to her X account. The Fever, of course, face the Sky in Chicago on that date (NBC/Peacock, 7 p.m. ET).

8/23
— dιjonaι carrιngтon♛ (@DijonaiVictoria) August 8, 2026

Fever guards Caitlin Clark (26 points) and Kelsey Mitchell (27 points) combined for 53 points in Saturday's contest. That marked the eighth time they both scored 25-plus points this season, the second-most for a duo in WNBA history. Clark's and Mitchell's feat is remarkable, but the Cunningham-Carrington storyline overshadows it.

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

More must-reads: