Who is DiJonai Carrington? WNBA star who smacked Sophie Cunningham, got ejected and blamed 'White privilege'
DiJonai Carrington found a way to make it all about her on Saturday.A routine fast-break layup transformed into the latest flashpoint in the WNBA's national culture war after the Chicago Sky star was ejected after delivering a vicious strike to the head and neck of Indiana Fever sensation Sophie Cunningham. Carrington then went on social media to pour gasoline on the fallout of the foul with her now-infamous "White privilege," remark after her punishment.Carrington already appears to be looking forward to her next chance to sap of that attention, as she gleefully posted the date of the Sky's rematch against the Fever on Aug.
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DiJonai Carrington found a way to make it all about her on Saturday.A routine fast-break layup transformed into the latest flashpoint in the WNBA's national culture war after the Chicago Sky star was ejected after delivering a vicious strike to the head and neck of Indiana Fever sensation Sophie Cunningham. Carrington then went on social media to pour gasoline on the fallout of the foul with her now-infamous "White privilege," remark after her punishment.Carrington already appears to be looking forward to her next chance to sap of that attention, as she gleefully posted the date of the Sky's rematch against the Fever on Aug. 23.WNBA FACES DISCIPLINE DILEMMA AFTER CARRINGTON'S 'WHITE PRIVILEGE' POST TARGETING INDIANA FEVERAnd while this latest stunt has become a national headline, it's hardly the first time Carrington has leveraged the Fever to make herself the center of attention.How did she get here?Religion played a major role in her home life.Her father became a pastor, her mother is active in ministry, and DiJonai attended a private Christian school growing up.Her father, Darren Carrington, was a standout safety in the NFL who played in two Super Bowls during his eight-year professional career with the Chargers and Patriots.Her mother, Vickie, was a star track athlete.Inspired by her older siblings (brother Darren II and sister Diarra), she insisted on playing youth football in elementary school, playing one year of flag football and two years of tackle football in grades 2 through 4.During her high school years at Horizon Christian Academy in San Diego, her mother served as her basketball head coach, her father as the associate head coach, and her sister as an assistant coachDuring her high school years at Horizon Christian Academy in San Diego, her mother served as her basketball head coach, her father as the associate head coach and her sister as an assistant coach.DiJonai became a highly touted prospect who played for elite programs, beginning her college career at Stanford University.In a 2019 interview for "My Stanford Story," Carrington spoke modestly and eloquently about her childhood and overcoming injuries, and her academic interests in psychology and African American studies.She later transferred to Baylor before being drafted by the Connecticut Sun in 2021.Fast forward to 2026, Carrington has a very different image than what she put on display in her 2019 Stanford interview.Just weeks before her confrontation with Cunningham, Carrington sent shockwaves through the WNBA by publicly detonating her former relationship on social media.During the late-July All-Star break, Carrington took to Threads to launch a spontaneous, unprovoked attack on her ex-girlfriend, Las Vegas Aces forward NaLyssa Smith.The two had dated since their college days at Baylor in 2020 and even briefly played together for the Dallas Wings.A full year after their breakup, Carrington suddenly accused Smith of cheating on her with multiple other WNBA players, explicitly naming Deja Kelly and Aaliyah Nye in the process to her followers.DIJONAI CARRINGTON DECLARES 'WHITE PRIVILEGE' AFTER EJECTION FOR SMACKING SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM IN THE FACE"Since mfs wanna be funny today ima be hilarious!" Carrington wrote on social media, dragging uninvolved players into a chaotic, reality-TV-style scandal on a random Sunday morning.Smith, clearly blindsided by the sudden accusations, was forced to defend herself on a Twitch livestream.Calling the outburst "weird" and questioning why Carrington would bring a year-old private issue to the internet, Smith pleaded for the privacy of the other players dragged into the mess."These folks is minding they business," Smith said on Twitch. "These folks woke up to this [expletive] on a random Sunday night of these types of allegations."SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM SPEAKS OUT AGAINST DIJONAI CARRINGTON AFTER FLAGRANT FOUL AND 'WHITE PRIVILEGE' POSTTheir relationship had been one of the most widely-known and discussed pairings in the WNBA in recent years.
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- DiJonai Carrington found a way to make it all about her on Saturday.A routine fast-break layup transformed into the latest flashpoint in the WNBA's national culture war after the Chicago Sky star was ejected after delivering a vicious strike to the head and neck of Indiana Fever sensation Sophie Cunningham. Carrington then went on social media to pour gasoline on the fallout of the foul with her now-infamous "White privilege," remark after her punishment.Carrington already appears to be looking forward to her next chance to sap of that attention, as she gleefully posted the date of the Sky's rematch against the Fever on Aug.
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Who is DiJonai Carrington? WNBA star who smacked Sophie Cunningham, got ejected and blamed 'White privilege'
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