DiJonai Carrington made it clear how she feels about Fever fans.
DiJonai Carrington has never been shy about how she feels and isn’t going to start now.
After the first-ever WNBA game in Boston’s TD Garden — a sold-out Los Angeles Sparks-Connecticut Sun matchup — wasn’t televised, Carrington came down hard on the WNBA. She wasn’t pleased with the marketing surrounding the event.
Following a tense back-and-forth matchup with the Indiana Fever Wednesday night, during which she traded buckets with Caitlin Clark, Carrington took to X (Formerly Twitter) to share some apparent frustrations. She ripped the Fever fanbase, calling them the WNBA’s “nastiest” fans. It’s unclear what the tweet may be referencing.
the indiana fever have the nastiest fans in the W. ew.
The Indiana Fever picked up a gigantic win against the Connecticut Sun at home on Wednesday night, further cementing a 2024 WNBA playoff spot.
During the thrilling contest, Sun star guard Dijonai Carrington matched a 3-pointer from Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark with one of her own and proceeded to shush the Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd afterward.
Well, Clark immediately got one over on Carrington right after her attempt to quiet the Fever fans as the rookie glided past the Sun veteran and went in for a contested layup.
Back-and-forth like this is exactly why the Fever playing the WNBA’s top teams has turned into such a regular delight, particularly when Indiana can do it in front of the home crowd.
Caitlin Clark cooks Dijonai for the triple, Dijonai answers back trying to shush the crowd, only for Caitlin come back and cook her again, which probably shouldve been an AND-1.
Simone Biles showed up to see Caitlin Clark and the Fever take on the Sun on Wednesday night.
Part of Team USA star gymnast Simone Biles’ post-2024 Paris Olympics plans included visiting Gainbridge Fieldhouse to watch rookie guard Caitlin Clark and the red-hot Indiana Fever.
Biles was in the house for Wednesday night’s Fever game against the Connecticut Sun, one of the best teams in the WNBA.
The Gold medal winner picked a great game to visit Indianapolis for, as Clark and the Fever taking on a star-studded Sun team in the loud and proud Gainbridge Fieldhouse is about as good a ticket as you can get in the WNBA right now.
We’re sure this isn’t the last Fever game Biles will attend, as the team will continue to attract notable spectators from across the worlds of sports and entertainment.
“I feel like Connecticut as a franchise is historically disrespected.”
The WNBA might have missed an enormous opportunity to promote the league’s growth by not televising a historic Sparks-Sun matchup in Boston’s TD Garden. Unsurprisingly, DiJonai Carrington promptly ripped them for it.
For context, Tuesday’s Sparks-Sun game was the first time a WNBA game was held in the Boston Celtics’ home arena. That’s awesome by itself, but what’s even better is playing in front of a sold-out crowd of 19,125 fans. Earlier in the day, Carrington seemed shocked that so many people would come out to see the Sparks take on the Sun, but she welcomed the moment.
“We don’t have any…media superstars, and we’re still able to garner this type of attention… It really just shows how much this city loves sports, and it doesn’t matter what sport, what gender — they’re going to show up and show out for sports teams.”
DiJonai Carrington was surprised that TD Garden sold out:
“It really just shows how much this city loves sports. It doesn’t matter what sport, what gender — they’re going to show up and show out.”
But Carrington seemingly had more feelings about the moment.
Hours before the game, she called out the WNBA for not promoting the event to larger audiences — it was only available on X (formerly Twitter) and League Pass.
Since we gotta do our own promo… We’re playing at the @tdgarden tonight & it’s SOLD OUT 19k+. First W game here ever. Historic. Not on tv, but you can catch it right here on twitter. 🙃 @WNBA
Still, she wasn’t done. Following the Sun’s win, Carrington doubled down on her frustrations. Here’s what she said:
“I’mma keep it real all the time, and I feel like Connecticut as a franchise is historically disrespected. So, sometimes…if you want something, you gotta go out there and do it yourself. So, that’s what I did for us.”
“I think that there could have been a lot more publicity or promo from the top…The game should have been on the national television broadcast. You shouldn’t have to pay for any type of subscription to see a game that’s this historic, in my opinion.”
DiJonai Carrington was asked about calling out the WNBA for not sufficiently promoting this game:
“The game should have been on the national television broadcast. You should’t have to pay for any type of subscription to see a game that’s this historic, in my opinion.” https://t.co/iff6dMBKnapic.twitter.com/gA9A4zRTuI
Notre Dame had some representation to tip off WNBA All-Star festivities over the next couple of days. Two of the three events held Friday in Phoenix featured that representation. Regrettably, it didn’t result in any hardware.
[autotag]Marina Mabrey[/autotag], who was traded from the Chicago Sky at her request earlier this week to the Connecticut Sun, competed in the Skills Challenge, the evening’s first event. You can’t see it that well in the video, but she fumbled a couple of times towards the end, costing her precious time:
The fumbles proved costly as she missed out on the final by two tenths of a second. All she could at that point was look to the 3-Point Contest, but she scored a contest-low 19 points:
However, she also didn’t advance to the final, so that was it for Notre Dame fans for the evening. The Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Gray wound up winning both events, becoming the first player to do so on the same night.
McBride and [autotag]Arike Ogunbowale[/autotag] will compete with the rest of the WNBA All-Stars in the All-Star Game on Saturday. They’ll be up against the U.S. Olympic team featuring [autotag]Jackie Young[/autotag] and [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag].
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Marina Mabrey and DiJonai Carrington on the same team? ABSOLUTE CINEMA.
Marina Mabrey is officially a member of the Connecticut Sun, which means she’ll have to play on the same team as her assumed nemesis, DiJonai Carrington.
On Wednesday, Mabrey was shipped out of Chicago to join Connecticut in a trade that surprised many hoops fans. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop them from thinking of the possibilities that Marina could bring to the team, including potentially having to swallow whatever beef she has with DiJonai Carrington.
It’s a horribly kept secret that DiJonai and Marina do not exactly get along and have previously exchanged words numerous times on the court. (Warning: NSFW language).
Who won the Marina Mabrey trade between the Sky and the Sun?
The WNBA trade deadline is easily over a month away, but the Chicago Sky aren’t waiting until then to make moves.
It’s a full-on youth movement in the Windy City, and the team has sent veteran Marina Mabrey to the Connecticut Sun in a transaction that is sure to turn heads.
The Sky are still rebuilding, but the Sun are title contenders and could challenge the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. However, before they can upset Vegas, they have to beat New York — a team that has simply kicked its tails up and down the court THREE TIMES this season.
Adding Mabrey, who has averaged 18 points and nearly three made shots from behind the arc in her last 15 games against the Liberty, to the roster certainly passes an initial eye test. But let’s break down how this trade went for both sides.
Breaking: The Chicago Sky have traded Marina Mabrey and a 2025 second-round pick to the Connecticut Sun, the team announced.
The Sky receive Rachel Banham, Moriah Jefferson, the 2025 first-round draft pick and the rights to swap 2026 first-round picks. pic.twitter.com/HMF2HAG73W
The Sky get: Guards Rachel Banham, Moriah Jefferson and a 2025 first-round draft pick, plus the rights to swap a 2026 first-round pick
The Sun get: Guard Marina Mabrey and a 2025 second-round pick
(Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images)
Chicago Sky:
This trade is going to be a tough one for Chicago Sky fans to swallow.
Although Marina Mabrey’s play was inconsistent, and she probably made a few fans want to pull out their hair watching her shoot free throws, she was a fairly decent presence from the 3-point line. Giving up a 34 percent shooter right now might not seem like a big deal. But the reality is that the Sky are DEAD LAST in 3-pointers made per game (4.5) in the WNBA.
Additionally, the Sky gave up a LOT to get Mabrey in a four-team trade last season, including its first-round draft picks in 2024 and 2025. They recouped a bit of that, but the trade still feels heavy.
There’s also something else to consider. What are the Chicago Sky going to do about Dana Evans?
Per Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times, Evans was benched after just 12 games as a starter. Despite her production, Evans was averaging 30 minutes and is now down to 13.8 minutes. Furthermore, she was supposed to be a starter until Marina Mabrey showed up. With Mabrey gone, does that mean that Evans gets an expanded role? Will her currently declining minutes suddenly go up? The Sky has some decisions to make.
Trade grade: C
(David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports)
Connecticut Sun
I’m not mad about this move at all for the Connecticut Sun. (Still, I send my condolences to Rachel Banham. She set a WNBA record for most 3-pointers off the bench just days ago, and now she’s been traded. OUCH.)
Adding Mabrey to the roster is a huge boost for Connecticut. They get a proven threat off the bench who can help players like DeWanna Bonner, Ty Harris and DiJonai Carrington continue their reign of terror from beyond the arc.
They’ll need that if they plan on beating teams like the New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces throughout the season and eventually making the playoffs. I’ve spent a good bit of my weekly WNBA power rankings calling the Sun frauds because they can’t keep up with the league’s best, and this move might help them actually be legitimate. Well done, Sun.
[autotag]Marina Mabrey[/autotag] won a national championship with Notre Dame in 2018. The former Irish guard is in her sixth WNBA season but does not a ring at that level. Her odds of earning that ring this year just improved significantly.
The Chicago Sky have traded Mabrey and a 2025 second-round pick to the Connecticut Sun for Rachel Banham, Moriah Jefferson, a 2025 first-round pick and the rights to swap first-round picks in 2026. The Sky are a fringe playoff team, but the Sun are only two-and-a-half games behind the New York Liberty for the league’s best record. Needless to say, it’s a better situation for Mabrey, who is headed to her fourth WNBA team.
Mabrey was second on the Sky with 14.0 points a game and was leading them with a career-high 4.5 assists a game. She also is averaging a career-high 4.9 rebounds a game. Her departure will be felt by the Sky, though they still have former Irish standouts [autotag]Lindsay Allen[/autotag] and [autotag]Brianna Turner[/autotag].
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Even DiJonai Carrington was impressed with DiJonai Carrington.
DiJonai Carrington had a hysterical response to her game-saving chase-down block against the Minnesota Lynx Thursday.
Listen, I gave the Connecticut Sun grief in my weekly WNBA power rankings for looking like absolute frauds since they lost to the New York Liberty in early June. They hadn’t beaten any teams over .500, but that changed when they won a nail-biter against Minnesota.
The game was back-and-forth until Napheesa Collier unfortunately went out with a foot injury. That’s when the Connecticut Sun took advantage and pulled out a gutsy win thanks to DiJonai Carrington unleashing the FILTHIEST block on poor Kayla McBride. WHEW, GIRL.
OHHH MY DIJONAI 🤯🤯🤯
DiJonai Carrington comes up BIG with the BLK in the 4Q
Egbo was waived earlier this year by the Sun and was a free agent when the Sparks signed her.
After the heartbreaking announcement that Los Angeles Sparks rookie Cameron Brink was out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL, the Sparks announced they signed center Queen Egbo to a hardship contract.
Egbo was selected 10th overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2022 WNBA draft out of Baylor University where she won a national championship in 2019. In her rookie season, Egbo was named to the WNBA All-Rookie team and has averaged 5.7 points and 5.1 rebounds in 73 career games.
She was waived earlier this year by the Connecticut Sun and was a free agent when the Sparks signed her. Egbo arrived in New York for the Sparks on Friday night for a Saturday game, so her turnaround time was short. Despite the quick turnaround, she had two points and two rebounds in only three minutes of play.
The Sparks’ next game is in Phoenix against the Mercury on Friday.
