The Indiana Fever’s 90-86 win over the Chicago Sky was overshadowed by a first-quarter altercation involving Sophie Cunningham and DiJonai Carrington. Carrington made heavy contact with Cunningham during a fast-break play, sending the Fever forward to the floor. After reviewing the incident, officials upgraded the foul to a Flagrant 2, resulting in Carrington’s ejection.
The controversy continued after the game when Sydney Colson, who was Cunningham’s Fever teammate in 2025, appeared to weigh in on the incident. Colson’s reaction drew attention online after she seemingly showed little sympathy for Cunningham being hit, adding another layer to the already heated situation.
Sophie Cunningham’s Former Fever Teammate Reacts to Her Headshot
Cunningham quickly got back up and confronted Carrington before teammates stepped in, and she later questioned the intent behind the contact. “Clearly, I think it was like unnecessary,” Cunningham said. “I’ve never really spoken to her and have no beef with her, but I guess she has some pent-up stuff.”
The controversy continued after Carrington’s ejection when she posted “WHITE PRIVILEGE” on Threads and tagged the Fever. Cunningham rejected any suggestion that the incident was connected to race, pointing to a similar incident involving herself from the previous season. “This has nothing to do with race,” she said. “Last year, I did the same thing and I got kicked out. And I deserved to be kicked out.” Cunningham remained in the game as Indiana eventually secured the four-point victory.
The situation then drew another reaction from Sydney Colson, who was Cunningham’s Fever teammate in 2025. Colson posted a brief message on Threads: “Love a trans foul.” The comment quickly attracted attention because of Cunningham’s previous public remarks on the debate surrounding transgender participation in women’s sports, adding another layer to the fallout from the heated Fever-Sky matchup.
Stephanie White Defends DiJonai Carrington After Controversial Foul on Sophie Cunningham
Stephanie White defended DiJonai Carrington’s physical style while agreeing that the Flagrant 2 call was correct after Carrington made heavy contact with Sophie Cunningham. White said she did not believe Carrington deliberately targeted Cunningham’s neck. “Yeah, I mean, look, it was a hard foul. I don’t think that DiJonai intentionally came out to get her across the neck like she did. But it did happen and I thought it was the right call,” White said.
She also backed Carrington’s competitive approach, adding, “But you know, one of the things about Nay is that she’s gonna play her butt off, man. She’s gonna compete. Nobody’s gonna go walking in for a layup.” White stressed that defending Carrington’s physicality was not the same as defending the contact itself. “And so, I don’t oppose the hard foul. But I also don’t think that she intentionally went for the neck.”
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier Weighs In on Heated WNBA Incident
The heated incident has drawn attention beyond the WNBA, with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier also weighing in on social media. Reacting to the controversy on X, Uthmeier pointed to the lack of a WNBA team in Florida and joked that the league would face a different response if games were played there, saying, “The WNBA knows better than to play games down here in Florida, because I’ll be charging people with assault.”
