Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington stuck her long fingernail in Caitlin Clark’s eye during the Sun’s 93-69 win over the Indiana Fever Sunday in the WNBA playoffs.
Carrington struck Clark while trying to block a pass from Clark in the first quarter. Slow-motion footage showed Carrington bending her hand while coming down from the block attempt, pointing her nails in Clark’s face. No foul was called on the play.
Carrington denied intentionally trying to give Clark a black eye while talking to reporters Tuesday.
“I don’t even know why I would intend to hit anybody in the eye,” Carrington said. “That doesn’t even make sense to me. But, no, I didn’t. I didn’t know I hit her, actually. I was trying to make a play on the ball, and I guess I followed through, and I hit her. So, obviously, it’s never intentional. That’s not even like the type of player that I am.”
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark reacts after getting hit in the eye during Game 1 of the first round of the 2024 WNBA playoffs against the Connecticut Sun Sept. 22, 2024, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. (M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Later on in the game, Carrington was seen laughing with Sun teammate Marina Mabrey. Carrington said they were not laughing about giving Clark the black eye.
“I can’t laugh about something I didn’t know happened,” Carrington said.
Clark agreed she didn’t believe Carrington purposely hit her in the eye while talking to reporters Tuesday.
“It wasn’t intentional by any means. You just watched the play. It wasn’t intentional,” Clark said.
Carrington has a history of antagonizing Clark and her fans in the past. During a game in June, Carrington fouled Clark after Clark received an inbound pass from teammate Kristy Wallace. Clark caught the pass and started toward the basket. Carrington was late getting to Clark due to a screen by Aliyah Boston, and she bumped Clark.
Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington (21) fouls Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) in the second half of a WNBA game in Indianapolis Aug. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Carrington didn’t like the call and thought Clark exaggerated the foul and started mocking the Fever rookie, eliciting a barrage of boos from her own home crowd while making the gesture.
After the game, Carrington wrote a hostile message on X that said, “But I’m a racist, jealous, c—, monkey, hatin a– b—- who needs to go back to Africa when I do it huh? plssss. Like I said, this is basketball.”
Carrington then responded to a random X user who wrote, “If races were reversed, Carrington would’ve been ejected.” The WNBA player wrote “BFFR (be f—ing for real) Paul.”
Later that month, Carrington made another post on X saying Clark should do more to speak out about people using her name for “racism” and other forms of prejudice.
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts to a foul in the first quarter during Game 1 of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., Sept. 22, 2024. (Mark Smith-Imagn Images)
“Dawg. How one can not be bothered by their name being used to justify racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia & the intersectionalities of them all is nuts,” Carrington wrote. “We all see the [s—]. We all have a platform. We all have a voice & they all hold weight. Silence is a luxury.”
On Aug. 28, after the Fever defeated the Sun 84-80 in Indiana, Carrington posted on X, criticizing the Indiana fans.
“The indiana fever have the nastiest fans in the W. ew,” Carrington wrote.
Carrington’s eye poking was the latest controversial physical incident involving Clark and WNBA opponents this year.
Chicago Sky player Diamond DeShields sent Clark flying across the floor for a foul that was later upgraded to a flagrant foul Aug. 30. After the game, DeShields posted a screenshot of her notifications list on Instagram, which included a string of hateful comments.
Clark took an infamous illegal hip check from Sky forward Chennedy Carter June 1. Carter refused to answer questions about the incident at a postgame press conference but used her social media to criticize Clark.
Angel Reese, a Sky rookie and Clark’s longtime college rival, struck Clark in the head with her arm while trying to block a pass during a game June 16. Reese has said Clark’s fans have leveled racist attacks against her and even sent explicit AI images of her.
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Diamond DeShields of the Chicago Sky runs into Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and is charged with a flagrant foul at Wintrust Arena Aug. 30, 2024, in Chicago. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Former NBA All-Star Joakim Noah suggested the Fever look to address the issue by signing a player who can dish punishment back at opponents who are too physical with Clark.
“If I was the owner of the Indiana Fever, I would get a real enforcer in there to protect her,” Noah told Fox News Digital earlier this month. “Sometimes I feel like she is getting hit because she is a very talented person.
“But, at the end of the day, we’re in the business of winning games. So, if I’m the owner [of the Indiana Fever], I’m getting a real enforcer in there.”
The Fever and Sun meet for Game 2 of their three-game opening-round playoff series Wednesday, and Clark and company are one loss away from their season ending.
“We can win,” Clark said. “It’s not anything about the building. It’s not about the gym. It’s not about the hoops. I have all the confidence in the world in this team, and everybody in the locker room does. And I know we’ll be a lot better on Wednesday.”
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