WNBA player DiJonai Carrington fires back at critics amid foul controversy
Controversial Dallas Wings player DiJonai Carrington sent a message to fans who think she plays "dirty," in a social media post on Wednesday.
"Yall fAnS swear i'm such a dirty player. I'm SO over this narrative bc if u really know bball, u know I jus play hard asf & never give up on a play. & yup, we challenged the last couple flagrants & got em rescinded bc I'm ALWAYS tryna make a play on the ball nun more, nun less," she wrote with a heart emoji.
Carrington's post came one day after the Wings' matchup against the Seattle Storm on Tuesday. Carrington was assessed a flagrant-1 foul in the fourth quarter after a hit on Seattle's Skylar Diggins. Diggins sprinted toward the basket on a fast break. Carrington chased her down and leaped to block the shot from behind and made contact with Diggins' head, sending the Storm player crashing to the ground.
Carrington was then seen sitting on the bench with her eyes closed.
Carrington's latest social media post also came nearly a week after an incident during a game against the Chicago Sky last Thursday, when Carrington screamed in the face of a referee, who then pulled a security guard in between them, seemingly for protection from the WNBA player.
Carrington responded to the incident in a post on X on Friday, suggesting the summoning of security was a "microaggression."
"Security… when I'm literally having a civil conversation is insane. Mind you, he called the "sEcUrItY" over there…"
Carrington has outspokenly defended herself from apparent criticism that she claims to have received in the past.
She and Sky player Angel Reese vented about criticism directed at them by the league's newer fans during an episode of Reese's podcast, "Unapologetically Angel," in early March.
"They be real loose at the mouth," Carrington said of her critics. "I know they think it's trolls, but it's not just trolls. It be people that we see in real life."
Carrington also said she isn't as bothered when people say she pays too much attention to her appearance, but she did say she "hates" when people question why she has blonde hair.
"I hate when people talk about that, like, 'Why do you have blonde hair?'" Carrington said. "I got black eyebrows. I got black arm hair, black leg hair … and I don't care. I'm still a natural blonde."
Carrington became one of the most criticized players in the WNBA last season amid conflicts with Caitlin Clark.
As a member of the Connecticut Sun last season, Carrington gave Clark a black eye after poking her during a game in the first round of the playoffs in September. Carrington laughed with teammate Marina Mabrey after the incident.
Carrington has said she did not intentionally poke Clark in the eye and that she was not laughing about the incident. However, she appeared to make light of the controversy over Clark's black eye in an Instagram Live video in October.
In the video, Carrington and her girlfriend, NaLyssa Smith, who plays for the Indiana Fever with Clark, were in their kitchen when Smith poked Carrington in the eye.
"Ow, you poked me in the eye," Carrington said. Smith apologized, and the two laughed. "Did you do it on purpose?" Carrington asked.
Carrington was already not in the good graces of Fever fans, as she provoked them with a post in late August, which read, "the Indiana fever have the nastiest fans in the W. ew."
Carrington has also prompted criticism for her political expressions.
During the "Unrivaled" league season in January, Carrington wore a shirt that said, "The F--- Donald Trump Tour" while walking into Wayfair Arena in Miami. Then, during a press conference after another game that month, Carrington declared it was time for WNBA players to "take action" in response to President Donald Trump's policies.
"We see that some of the policies are already going into action, and, of course, that means that as the WNBA and being at the forefront of a lot of these movements, it's time for us to also take action," Carrington said.
"It definitely needs to happen as women, women's rights being taken away. Like, now, LGBTQ rights being taken away now. They haven't happened yet, but definitely in the works."
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