"She is going to seriously injure a player" - Jason Whitlock calls out WNBA over DiJonai Carrington's flagrant on Lynx forward

Dating back to the 2024 season, DiJonai Carrington has built a reputation for being an aggressive defender. Following a near-scuffle of Wednesday night, one longtime analyst sounded off on her style of play.

Already for the second time this season, the Dallas Wings found themselves facing off against the Minnesota Lynx. During this tight matchup, Carrington received her first flagrant foul of the year for her actions defending a fastbreak.

While Lynx forward Jessica Shepard was driving to the basket, DiJonai Carrington came from behind to try and block the shot. After making a play at the ball, she can be seen taking a swipe at Shepard's face.

Among those to give their thoughts on this play was Jason Whitlock. He called out Carrington's brash style on the court and stated she is going to injure someone if the league doesn't step in further.

"Dijon Carrington is going to seriously injure a player in the WNBA. She once again uses her fingernail to scrape across the face of an opposing player. The WNBA supports and panders toward Dijonai’s form of bigotry."

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Aside from being assessed a flagrant foul, it doesn't appear that Carrington will face any sort of punishment for her actions towards Shepard.

DiJonai Carrington once had similar controversial foul on Caitlin Clark

Jason Whitlock spoke so strongly about this play because it is far from a one-off situation for DiJonai Carrington. She was caught up in a similar type of situation during last year's playoffs.

Still with the Connecticut Sun at the time, Carrington faced off against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever in round one of the postseason. As the team's best perimeter defender, she was primarily tasked with matching up with the star rookie.

Early on in Game 1, DiJonai Carrington landed a blow to Clark's face that left her sidelined for a brief portion of the game. She was attempting to deflect a pass thrown from the Fever star, and while coming down, struck her directly in the eye.

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Clark was a bit shaken up after the play and quickly found herself with a black eye. However, it did not leave her out of the game for long. Upon having some time to regather herself, she returned in hopes of keeping Indiana's playoff dreams alive.

Because of her history of landing blows to the face, Whitlock feels so strongly about Carrington's brand of defense. If it becomes a pattern, the league office might have no choice but to step in.

About the author

Kevin McCormick is a basketball writer at Sportskeeda with over four years of experience in journalism and a bachelor's degree in Sports Management Marketing from Holy Family University.

Kevin has worked with various notable outlets throughout his career, including 97.3 ESPN, ClutchPoints, Heavy Sports, and Sports Illustrated/FanNation, before joining Sportskeeda in March 2022.

Specializing in NBA and WNBA coverage, Kevin's passion for basketball stems from his hometown team, the Philadelphia 76ers. Among his favorite players are Kevin Durant, Chet Holmgren, and Steph Curry, while his all-time favorites include Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

Kevin holds Coach K in high regard for the large input he's had on the game helping mold players across multiple generations. Kevin believes the iconic rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson helped elevate the league to its current status.

Through his writing, Kevin provides in-depth analysis and insights into player and coach quotes. He prioritizes sourcing information from credible and reliable outlets.

Kevin enjoys reading, aiming to finish at least one book per month, and he is a big fan of music.

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Edited by Kevin McCormick