A fragrant clothesline foul on fearless WNBA player Sophie Cunningham on Saturday even got the attention of Florida’s top law enforcement official after a racial response was posted by the player, who was thrown out of the game for the offense.
DiJonai Carrington of the Chicago Sky was handed a flagrant 2 foul for sending the Indiana Fever’s Cunningham smashing to the floor during her successful layup in the first quarter of Saturday’s nationally televised game.
DiJonai Carrington #7 of the Chicago Sky looks on against the Indiana Fever during the first half at United Center on August 08, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Carrington was ejected from the game, causing her to scamper back to the locker room to post “white privilege” on social media during the game, drawing the attention of Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
The AG reposted the footage of the vicious foul and wrote on X,” The WNBA knows better than to play games down here in Florida, because I’ll be charging people with assault.”
Florida did have two clubs, but the state has not been home to a WNBA franchise for over 20 years, Outkick reported.
A “clothesline” foul involves bringing someone down by an arm around the neck. Cunningham immediately jumped to her feet after the offense and had to be restrained by teammates.
“Clearly, I think it was like unnecessary,” Cunningham said after the game. “I’ve never really spoken to her and have no beef with her, but I guess she has some pent-up stuff. So, get your s— off. That’s fine. I can take it.”
Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham, right, and teammate Caitlin Clark, left, wave goodbye to Chicago Sky’s DiJonai Carrington after Carrington was ejected from the game for committing a flagrant foul against Cunningham during the first half of an WNBA basketball game in Chicago, Saturday, August 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Fever games, which feature WNBA super star Caitlin Clark and outspoken guard Cunningham, have become one of the hottest must-watch duos in woman’s professional basketball, not only for their fast-break style of basketball but the attention generated by cultural and racial controversies.
Cunningham’s public persona has even exceeded Clark’s recently after she said in an interview that she supported keeping biological men out of women’s sports and then stuck to her guns despite demands for her to apologize from trans activists.
Prior to that, Cunningham emerged as the team’s “enforcer” and protector of Clark, who since her entry into the league has been repeatedly hit with vicious fouls, which critics say is motivated by racial resentments and jealousy of her $500,000 salary and nearly $16 million more in endorsements.
During a heated game in June, footage and images of Cunningham went viral and produced countless memes and even T-shirts when the guard held an extended, unyielding finger point for 22 seconds at Pheonix Mercury player DeWanna Bonner after a verbal altercation.
Bonner told the blond, ponytailed guard not to point at her. Cunningham responded deadpan with her long, upturned finger and said afterwards, “I didn’t say a word.”
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The pointing incident erupted after Clark and Bonner became entangled and both received technical fouls, with Cunningham stepping forward as her teammate’s protector. Cunningham earned a black belt in Taekwondo martial arts as a child.
It remains to be seen if Carrington will receive supplemental discipline for the foul, or for the controversial social media post accusing Cunningham and her team of benefiting from “white privilege” during the game.
Breitbart News contributor Lowell Cauffiel, who wrote about the championships of the Detroit Pistons “bad boys” in the Motor City, is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.