The recent game between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky drew significant attention due to a controversial incident. DiJonai Carrington, a Chicago Sky guard, committed a hard foul against Sophie Cunningham, causing a bloody mouth for the Fever star. This foul, occurring during a layup attempt, resulted in Carrington’s ejection after being assessed a Flagrant 2 foul.

The incident sparked debate when Sports Illustrated initially described Carrington’s action as karma for Cunningham. Their story titled “Sophie Cunningham Got a Bitter Taste of Karma After Drawing Flagrant Foul in Fever-Sky” highlighted the tension surrounding Cunningham’s statements regarding transgender athletes in women’s sports.

Cunningham has dominated headlines for weeks after sharing her opinion that transgender athletes should not be allowed to play in women’s sports.

The narrative of karma stemmed from Cunningham’s earlier actions during the 2025 WNBA season, where she committed a similar foul against Jacy Sheldon. Cunningham acknowledged her past mistake, admitting she deserved to be ejected during that game.

After the incident, Carrington posted “WHITE PRIVILEGE” on her Instagram Threads, referencing her ejection. Sophie Cunningham responded, saying the league would handle it and stated, “This has nothing to do with race.”

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White commented on the foul’s intensity, defending Carrington’s competitive nature but agreeing with the foul call. White remarked, “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.”

Sports Illustrated later updated their story title, removing the karma reference, amid the controversy surrounding Cunningham’s views and the charged reaction from Carrington.