Caitlin Clark got poked in the face by DiJonai Carrington during the 2024 WNBA playoffs – and no foul was called.
Now Carrington has done it again, this time knocking Sophie Cunningham to the hardwood with a clothesline across the face and neck on national television.
And the Florida Attorney General threatened the WNBA after the league’s latest fiasco.
Florida AG James Uthmeier Issues Assault Warning After Sophie Cunningham Flagrant Foul
Saturday's game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky turned into a WWE brawl after Sophie Cunningham was clotheslined by Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington.
Cunningham had a clean path to the basket when Carrington ran her down from behind and drove her left arm across Cunningham's face and neck, dropping her to the floor.
The refs called a Flagrant 1. After review, they upgraded it to a Flagrant 2 – the harshest foul in the sport – and ejected Carrington.
Cunningham got up, charged at Carrington, and had to be pulled back by a teammate.
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"Clearly, I think it was unnecessary," Cunningham told reporters afterward. "I've never really spoken to her and have no beef with her, but I guess she has some pent-up stuff."
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier didn't wait for the league to respond.
He posted a warning on X directed at the entire WNBA: "The WNBA knows better than to play games down here in Florida, because I'll be charging people with assault."
Uthmeier clarified – after Fox News amplified the post – that he meant "assault and battery."
There are no WNBA teams in Florida.
Uthmeier wasn't offering a legal opinion. He was sending a message to a league that has watched its own players get brutalized and responded with press conferences that defend the attackers.
Fever Coach Stephanie White Defends DiJonai Carrington After Ejection
Fever head coach Stephanie White then did something that should cost her a job.
White defended Carrington at her post-game press conference.
"It was a hard foul," White said. "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."
Cunningham's own coach walked to a microphone and argued that the woman who knocked her player to the floor didn't mean to do it, as if intent is the standard when a player ends up with a bloody mouth on national television.
Carrington said nothing to reporters.
She had already said everything she needed to say from the locker room – a single social media post that read "WHITE PRIVILEGE" and tagged the Indiana Fever.
Cunningham dismissed it: "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."
OutKick founder Clay Travis wasn't as measured.
"Blatant racism," Travis posted on X. "She should be out of the league for the rest of the year."
Why DiJonai Carrington Posted White Privilege and Tagged the Indiana Fever
For the past month, Cunningham has been at the center of a culture war that the WNBA clearly wishes would disappear.
After an ESPN profile, she said plainly that she wants to protect young girls in locker rooms and sports from competing against biological men. Her Adidas shoes sold out within 24 hours. Riley Gaines took a photo with her courtside.
The WNBA's response was to reportedly block Cunningham's signature finger-point gesture from being licensed by brands – labeling it "derogatory."
The league won't protect Sophie Cunningham from getting clotheslined on national TV, but it will police her finger point.
And now – with a Flagrant 2 ejection on the books and a racial accusation posted from the locker room – the woman who swung at Cunningham's neck is framing herself as the victim.
Uthmeier has it exactly right. The WNBA punishes its most marketable stars for saying common-sense things, lets the violence slide, and cuts the checks to management that explains away the hits.
Florida may not have a WNBA team. But every other state where the league plays games is watching what Florida's AG is willing to do that league officials won't – draw a line.
Sources:
- Kareem Copeland, "Sky's Carrington tossed after hard foul on Fever's Cunningham," ESPN, August 8, 2026.
- Sophie Cunningham and DiJonai Carrington coverage via OutKick Sports, Fox News, August 8, 2026.
- "Florida AG Issues Stark Warning to WNBA Over On-Court Violence," RedState, August 9, 2026.
- "Sophie Cunningham's Adidas Shoes Selling Out After Speaking Out Against Trans Athletes in Women's Sports," Breitbart, July 24, 2026.