DiJonai Carrington Can’t Quiet Scrutiny After More Face Hits, ‘Unfounded’ Fan Issue

Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington continues to make headlines for the wrong reasons.

DiJonai Carrington speaks to a referee during a Chicago Sky game. | IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington could have used a quiet game against the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday.

Carrington has been at the center of controversy over the past week because of the incident in which she smacked Sophie Cunningham in the face when the Fever and the Sky faced off over the weekend, which led to Carrington getting ejected.

Then Carrington returned to the locker room and wrote, "WHITE PRIVILEGE @indianafever," on social media, which turned what had been a basketball matter into something much bigger.

Right as this entire flagrant foul and ensuing controversy looked like it was ready to blow over, Carrington's Sky faced the Valkyries. This produced several more moments that put Carrington back in the spotlight.

Carrington whacked Golden State guard Tiffany Hayes in the face with an errant hand while Hayes was going for a layup at one point during Wednesday's game.

DiJonai Carrington with another face slap special !! Tip Hayes actually posted about the Sophie play 😭. pic.twitter.com/PEAyEmgaia

— X coach anderson X (@coachandere6xa) August 13, 2026

Carrington was guarding Cecilia Zandalasini at another point in the game and poked her in the eye. This incident looked very similar to when Carrington poked Caitlin Clark in the eye during the 2024 postseason, which sparked mutual ire between Carrington and the Fever's fan base that has clearly persisted.

DiJonai Carrington hit her signature move AGAIN:

Gouging a white player’s eyes out 😭 pic.twitter.com/qSLdPBFE5n

— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) August 13, 2026

What's more, at one point in the fourth quarter, Carrington complained to one of the game's referees about a Valkyries fan who was sitting courtside.

The fan was removed but eventually was able to return, because Carrington's complaint was "unfounded", according to a Valkyries team official.

DiJonai Carrington Isn't Doing Herself Any Favors

It's worth stating that Carrington wasn't assessed a flagrant foul for either hit on Valkyries players last night (although she did receive a technical foul for arguing with a referee at another point in the game).

Still, this is not a good look after what happened with Cunningham a few days ago. And the fact that Carrington tried to get a Golden State fan ejected for what was ultimately deemed an "unfounded" reason isn't going to endear her to women's basketball fans.

What's frustrating is that while Carrington didn't play well against the Valkyries (three points in 24 minutes), she had arguably the best game of her career against the Seattle Storm on Monday, scoring 26 points and picking up six rebounds in 27 minutes.

Yet, regardless of how good she plays, people aren't going to be talking about her on-court success so long as she keeps hitting opponents in the face and further aggravating her relationship with fans.