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WNBA Player's Explanation of Incident That Injured Caitlin Clark Leaves Many Unconvinced

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Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington played well enough this season to convince WNBA voters to award her with the league’s “Most Improved” player award.

Carrington’s explanation for why she gave Indiana Fever star rookie Caitlin Clark a black eye in Game 1 of their WNBA first round playoff series?

That wasn’t nearly as convincing — though it may not ultimately matter.

To wit, during Sunday’s 93-69 Sun win over the Fever, Carrington was defending Clark in the first half.

Carrington lifted her hand to try and contest a pass attempt from Clark, but ended up poking the Fever rookie in the eye.

A different angle of the incident also showed a peculiar hand motion from Carrington:

Do you think DiJonai Carrington intentionally hit Caitlin Clark in the eye?

Clark crumpled to the floor, visibly in pain, but the refs missed the call, further enraging observers and Fever fans.

Many comments on social media echoed that of one particularly upset WNBA fan on social media platform X, who demanded a hefty punishment: “The [WNBA] needs to suspend her immediately and impose a major fine.”

Adding insult and injury, the poke was bad enough to leave Clark with a small shiner after the game:

Related:
Caitlin Clark Trying Out a Different Sport with Stellar WNBA Rookie Season in the Rearview

Given the enormous popularity of Clark, Carrington’s well-documented history with her and that oddball hand motion, many viewers assumed that the eye-poke was maliciously intentional.

USA Today’s Christine Brennan asked Carrington about that intention. Here’s how the WNBA’s newly minted “Most Improved Player” responded:

“I just, I don’t even know why I would intend to hit anybody in the eye,” Carrington began when Brennan bluntly asked if the eye-poke was intentional. “That doesn’t even make sense to me. But, no I didn’t [intentionally poke Clark’s eye].

“I didn’t know I hit her, actually.”

As every basketball player who’s ever committed a foul before has liked to claim, Carrington argued that she was trying to make a play on the ball, and that Clark’s cornea was simply collateral damage.

The response to Brennan’s questioning was decidedly split.

Some felt that Brennan crossed a line by flatly asking if Carrington intentionally maimed Clark.

Others, however, simply weren’t buying Carrington’s claim that “I didn’t know I hit her.”

That all being said, arguing with Carrington may be moot at this point, because Clark, as she often does, took a notably high road when asked about the incident in question.

In a clip shared by Fever beat reporter Chloe Peterson, Clark was asked to address any viewers who felt that Carrington’s eye-poke was intentional.

“It wasn’t intentional, by any means,” a bemused Clark said with a smile. “You just watch the play. It wasn’t intentional.”

Game 2 between the Fever and Sun was scheduled to tip off in Connecticut Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

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Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics.
Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics. He graduated with a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. He is an avid fan of sports, video games, politics and debate.
Birthplace
Hawaii
Education
Class of 2010 University of Arizona. BEAR DOWN.
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English, Korean
Topics of Expertise
Sports, Entertainment, Science/Tech




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