Charles Barkley blasts DiJonai Carrington over Sophie Cunningham foul and controversial post

Charles Barkley blasts DiJonai Carrington over Sophie Cunningham foul and controversial post originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Charles Barkley believes DiJonai Carrington made a bad situation significantly worse after her controversial collision with Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham. Carrington was ejected from the Chicago Sky‘s Aug. 8 game against Indiana after striking Cunningham in the head while contesting a shot late in the first quarter. Cunningham was airborne when the contact occurred and fell hard to the court.

Officials initially called a common foul before upgrading it to a Flagrant 2 following a replay review. The ruling resulted in Carrington’s immediate ejection. Carrington then posted “WHITE PRIVILEGE” on Threads and tagged the Fever, adding another layer to an incident already generating plenty of debate.

Barkley addressed both the foul and the social media post during an appearance on Michael Smerconish’s radio show. The Basketball Hall of Famer did not leave much room for interpretation.

“It was a dirty play. Period,” Barkley said.

Barkley says Carrington’s post distracted from the foul

Barkley was especially critical of Carrington’s decision to invoke race after the ejection.

“When she tweeted ‘White privilege,’ that was 100% a mistake,” Barkley said. “It was a dirty play. Period. That would have been the end of it.”

Instead, Barkley argued, the message shifted the discussion away from what happened on the court and created an entirely different controversy. Carrington later said she “never once claimed that the assessment of the foul was white privilege.” She did not elaborate on what she intended the message to mean.

The Sky guard also maintained that the contact with Cunningham was accidental. Carrington described the result as “unfortunate” and said she did not intend to hit Cunningham in the head.

Intent, however, did not affect the officials’ final ruling. A Flagrant 2 can be assessed when contact is deemed unnecessary and excessive, regardless of whether a player set out to injure an opponent.

MORE: Charles Barkley Defends Sophie Cunningham, Blasts WNBA Leadership Over Controversy

Cunningham incident added another chapter to heated rivalry

The Fever and Sky have produced several physical and highly scrutinized games in recent seasons. Their matchups have attracted increased national interest, particularly with Caitlin Clark leading Indiana. Cunningham, one of the Fever’s most outspoken players, has also become a central figure in the rivalry. She has repeatedly defended her teammates and has not been shy about responding to physical play.

Barkley’s criticism ensures the Carrington controversy will continue to receive attention well after the final buzzer. Carrington may insist the contact was unintentional, but Barkley believes the replay and the resulting ejection spoke for themselves. His larger issue was what came next.

A hard foul could have remained a basketball controversy. In Barkley’s view, Carrington’s cryptic post turned it into something much bigger.

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