Entertainment
Caitlin Clark fans send shocking wave of racist attacks to Dijonai Carrington over eye foul
Connecticut Sun player DiJonai Carrington has quickly grow to be one of the WNBA’s rising stars.
However, Carrington recently shared with the general public a disturbing insight into the backlash she has received over the past few weeks from Caitlin Clark’s fans.
Known for her skills on the court, Carrington won the “Most Improved Player” honor in her fourth season, and recently took to social media to reveal some of the hateful messages she received from Clark’s fans.
On Thursday, September 26, she posted on her Instagram story a threatening email she had received, containing racial slurs and a brutal threat of sexual assault.
The email read: “You worthless nigga, I hope someone scolds you and chops your head off.”
In response, Carrington wrote: “I am unable to make this up. Sent to my email. You will need Jesus.
DiJonai Carrington shares graphic email on her IG story.
We need to higher protect WNBA players. pic.twitter.com/ZK03bQdUcO
— Xavier Hunter (@_XavierHunter) September 25, 2024
The post, which has since expired, has sparked widespread concern. One fan caught on and commented, “We need to do a better job of protecting WNBA players.”
The hostility is reportedly linked to supporters of Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark. Many people, mostly her white fanbase, became outraged at the best way Clark was treated on the court – normally directing their outrage at her black opponents.
On Wednesday, September 25, when Clark didn’t like how a fan was harassing her on the court in Game 2 of the primary round of the Indiana-Connecticut playoffs, she grabbed him. ejected. Connecticut won that game at home 87-81 and took the best-of-seven series 2-0.
Clark’s fans have also been vocal in expressing their hatred towards Sun’s Black players by harassing them, but none of their players have managed to eject a fan.
The abuse seemed to escalate more, especially after the Sun eliminated the Fever, denying the Rookie of the Year a probability to make a deeper playoff run in her first season within the league.
During the extraordinary matches, the rivalry reached such a boiling point that some Clark fans repeatedly directed their frustration at Carrington.
“The same people who want to pretend that #CaitlinClark was ‘attacked’ by DiJonai Carrington have nothing to say about Caitlin Clark who came close to ripping out DiJonai’s eye” – one user X he tweeted September 23. “Playing for the ball and pulling the contact back towards someone’s eye and breaking the contact.”
The same individuals who want to act like #CaitlinClark was “attacked” by DiJonai Carrington, I even have nothing to say about Caitlin Clark who got here close to gouging out DiJonai’s eye.
Playing for the ball and pulling the contact back towards someone’s eye and breaking the contact. pic.twitter.com/bQjKVA9aJM
— GC4* (@GodzChild4eva) September 23, 2024
The social media user referenced the primary game of the Fever-Sun series when Carrington poked Clark within the eye in an attempt to block a pass, leaving the rookie’s eye blackened. No foul was called throughout the play and Sun insists it was an accident, although fans imagine she deliberately tried to use her fingernail extensions to injure Clark. Later in the sport, Clark punched Carrington within the face, breaking the Sun player’s contact lens. Carrington was assessed a foul on the play.
Clark also noted that the scratch was “not intentional” and told her fans to watch the show.
The vitriol kept coming.
Another person wrote on Twitter: “I am warning DiJonai fans, the Connecticut Sun and the #WNBA as a whole about this disgusting, pathetic excuse for a human being who is actually praying for Dijonai to get hurt. Block such toxic people to clean your tl. This is EXACTLY what Carrington was talking about,” posting comments like “Dijonai gets hurt, idc. I hate that bitch my whole fucking life.”
The same Clark fan added, “I hope Dijonais’ eye contact is contagious to her,” and “I pray for absolutely the worst for Dijonais. I hate this bitch a lot.
I’m warning DiJonai fans, the Connecticut Sun and #WNBA as an entire to this disgusting, pathetic excuse for a human being who is definitely praying for Dijonai to be harmed. Block such toxic people to clean your tl. This is EXACTLY what Carrington was talking about. pic.twitter.com/pNmLhWi67P
— Mia (@miaonfilm) September 22, 2024
On September 25, a fan who attended the Fever v. Sun game noticed Carrington being taunted with “racist” taunts about her nails and eyelashes.
“I’m at the Sun/Fever match and the atmosphere is terrible,” they are saying he wrote. “A woman behind me mocked DiJonai’s eyelashes and only stopped when my partner turned around and told her to stop being racist. There is a man wearing a MAGA hat. There’s also THAT woman with the no-nails T-shirt and cartoonish fake nails.”
Another fan placed the blame squarely on the WNBA, writing“Two important things that happened earlier today, long before Indiana lost, and now you want to say something. You allowed Dijonai Carrington to be interrogated and threatened with death. Not to mention all the shit that’s happened since the beginning of the season. DO BETTER WNBA.”
While it’s unclear why it released correspondence from the obnoxious fan, the WNBA quickly responded, which included all concerns about racial bigotry from fans, players, franchises and anyone involved within the league’s ecosphere.
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 26, 2024
“WNBA is a league by which the perfect athletes on the earth compete. While we welcome our growing fan base, the WNBA is not going to tolerate racist, derogatory or threatening comments towards players, teams or anyone related to the league,” the statement read.
It added: “League security is actively monitoring threat activity and will work directly with teams and arenas to take appropriate measures, including the involvement of law enforcement as necessary.”
Despite Clark’s attempts to distance herself from the actions of her more hostile supporters – when she remarked earlier this 12 months, “Everyone in the world deserves the same respect” – the situation has only gotten worse.
The Sun’s Alyssa Thomas also shared her opinion, reflecting on the season’s intensity and labeling racist attacks from Clark’s fans “unacceptable.”
“Basketball is going in a great direction, but we don’t want the fans to humiliate us… It’s inappropriate and something needs to be done, whether they check their fans or the league checks it. There is no time for this anymore.” -Alyssa Thomas
(via Women… pic.twitter.com/H5rqf6CWCb
— We need to talk (@WeNeedToTalk) September 26, 2024
“Basketball is going in a great direction, but we don’t want fans who are belittling us,” Thomas said. “There’s no time for this anymore.”
However, according to Carrington, hate attacks and online attacks proceed.
While her Instagram highlights her achievements this season, her X profile has been wiped, likely in response to the relentless harassment. Despite Clark’s repeated calls for civility, the fallout from their on-court clash shows no sign of abating.