WNBA analyst speaks up about the bad foul on Sophie Cunningham during the ‘anti-trans’ controversy
Andraya Carter from the WNBA Countdown team seemed to stand up for DiJonai Carrington after her flagrant foul on Sophie Cunningham, which happened amid the ongoing talks about Cunningham’s “anti-trans” comments.
Recently, Sophie Cunningham has been in the spotlight for speaking out against transgender women competing in women’s sports. This has sparked both support and criticism within the WNBA community.
On Saturday, the Indiana Fever played against the Chicago Sky in a close game that ended 90-86 in favor of the Fever. However, the focus shifted from the score when Cunningham and Carrington got involved in a heated moment.
Cunningham, a guard for the Fever, was going for an easy lay-up when Carrington, the Sky’s guard-forward, took her down with what looked like a clear flagrant foul. Instead of trying to block or steal the ball, Carrington crashed her arm into Cunningham’s face, knocking her to the floor. Cunningham quickly got up and lunged at Carrington but was held back by players from both teams.
Cunningham has been very vocal recently, saying things like, “I want to protect young girls in sports who shouldn’t have to compete against biological men.” This sparked a segment on WNBA Countdown, where the crew seemed to defend Carrington’s foul and stressed that Cunningham’s views didn’t cause the incident.
In recent weeks, Cunningham has stood firm on her opinions about transgender women athletes, even facing criticism from former USA soccer star Megan Rapinoe, especially after Cunningham was seen with Riley Gaines, a conservative influencer who also opposes transgender participation in sports.
Cunningham said, “I said what I said. I think it’s common sense… It’s really important to protect children. I’m not very political, but I do have my beliefs and morals. People can take it however they want, but I feel strongly about this.”
Cunningham’s views were indirectly addressed when Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve wore a “Trans Kids Belong” shirt during a recent game.
After Carrington’s foul, many fans thought it was because of Cunningham’s identity, but the WNBA Countdown team disagreed. Andraya Carter explained, “Carrington was behind Cunningham and couldn’t get over the top in time. She usually tries hard to block, and if she had reached in time, this wouldn’t be a big issue.” She also showed clips of Carrington making clean block attempts in other games. Carter added, “I don’t think this was about Sophie Cunningham’s lay-up.”
Carrington made headlines again after the game by posting “WHITE PRIVILEGE” on Instagram Threads and tagging the Indiana Fever team, right after her foul was called a flagrant two for the heavy contact on a player in a vulnerable spot.
When asked about the foul, Cunningham said Carrington “has some pent-up stuff” and thinks “she wants attention.”