Teams Downplay Tensions Ahead of Rematch
The Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky insisted there was no lingering animosity heading into Sunday night's matchup, their first meeting since a controversial hard foul led to ejection and social media controversy earlier in August.
Fever guard Sophie Cunningham and Sky coach Tyler Marsh both characterized the game as routine despite the charged history between the teams. The contest came two weeks after Chicago's DiJonai Carrington was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul on Cunningham during Indiana's 90-86 victory on August 8.
"My mindset has never changed. I think it is what it is," Cunningham said before the game. "I'm locked in on tonight. I think we're just out here trying to get the win."
The Original Incident
The controversy stems from the first quarter of the teams' previous encounter, when Cunningham drove for a layup and Carrington came from behind, striking her in the head and neck area. The contact knocked Cunningham to the court, though the basket counted. Cunningham immediately got up and charged at Carrington, pushing her before teammates intervened.
Officials reviewed the play and upgraded it to a Flagrant 2 foul, citing windup, impact and follow-through. The ruling resulted in immediate ejection for Carrington, two free throws for Indiana with possession retained, and a $1,000 fine under WNBA rules that assess $500 per flagrant point.
Shortly after her ejection, Carrington posted "WHITE PRIVILEGE" on social media, tagging the Fever. Carrington is Black and Cunningham is white. Days later, Carrington clarified that she never claimed the Flagrant 2 assessment itself was the result of white privilege, though she offered no further explanation.
A Measured Response
Cunningham dismissed the social media commentary ahead of Sunday's rematch. "I couldn't care less about what she does, what she tweets, any of that," she said. "I'm here to play basketball. There's going to be people who are going to talk about it, but to me, it's just another basketball game."
Marsh echoed that sentiment, saying he had no special conversations with his players about the previous confrontation. "That kind of was what it was last game and anything that came out of it kind of lasted for that time," the Sky coach said. "But for us, again, it was on to the next one in front of us."
Indiana coach Stephanie White, who previously coached Carrington at the Connecticut Sun during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, defended her former player after the incident, stating she didn't believe the foul was intentional despite supporting the referee's call.
Game Action
Carrington was listed as questionable with a left foot injury but was cleared after going through warmups. Both players checked in for the first time with just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter, and there were no significant confrontations in the opening half.
Cunningham scored three points in six first-half minutes, while Carrington had four points on 2-for-7 shooting in more than 11 minutes. The 2024 WNBA Most Improved Player and All-Defensive First Team selection, Carrington has built a reputation as an aggressive defender who averaged 12.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game last season.
The game represented the final stop on a challenging five-game road trip for Indiana, who came in having lost two consecutive games. The Fever, acquired Cunningham from the Phoenix Mercury in a four-team trade in February 2025, entered with a 24-14 record, sitting fifth in the WNBA standings and second in the Eastern Conference with a playoff berth already secured.
Chicago, meanwhile, brought a 15-22 record into the contest, sitting tenth in the league and six games behind the eighth-place playoff spot. However, the Sky had won three straight games before Sunday's matchup.
The incident occurred during a 2026 season that has seen record viewership and attendance for the WNBA, leading to increased media scrutiny of physical play and player conduct across the league.
