Rachel Nichols Defends DiJonai Carrington Mocking Caitlin Clark By Pointing Out WNBA is Being Treated Differently

Jun 10, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington (21) imitates Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) after a foul call in the second quarter at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

During the contest between Connecticut Sun and the Indiana Fever, Sun’s guard, Dijonai Carrington, got called for a reach-in foul on the Fever rookie Caitlin Clark. However, Carrington thought that Clark flopped and then made a mocking gesture towards the referee, implying that the Fever guard exaggerated the contact. As it pertains to anything with Caitlin Clark these days, the gestures by Carrington were blown out of proportion and she was called a bad sport.

Rachel Nichols has had enough of this and believes that the WNBA players are being treated differently for behaving the same as the NBA players in a similar situation.

She cited the examples of Chris Paul and Patrick Beverley, who have exchanged flops and mocking gestures consistently for years. On UNDISPUTED, while urging fans to stop Clark like a fragile personality, she argued,

“Caitlin is not a delicate flower but we have to stop pretending that. She is an athlete, she knows how to play basketball. And in the NBA, we see it over and over again. People exaggerate contact or flop, then they get mocked for it. How many times has Chris Paul mocked Patrick Beverley and Patrick Beverley mocked Chris Paul?”

Nichols prompted hoops fans to learn that WNBA athletes have as much pride as the NBA players and when they engage in excessive physical contact, it displays their competitive nature. Thus, she believes that Carrington’s actions should be considered routine in the pro league. At any rate, the Sun guard did lift her ascending team to the top again.

Dijonai Carrington is an early candidate for WNBA MIP

Not only did Carrington help contain Clark to just 10 points, but she also led the scorers with 22. Thanks to her two-way exploits, the Sun earned an 89-72 win and continued their hold over the top spot with 10 wins and 1 loss. Carrington has become a season-long starter for the first time in her career and has responded to the call emphatically.

Compared to the 2023 season, she has upped her scoring average from 8.3 to 12.8 points per game and rebounding numbers from 2.9 to 5.1 rebounds per game.

She is also shooting a career-high 42.5% from the field and has emerged as a candidate for the 2024 WNBA Most Improved Player of the Year Award. Apart from her solid game, her easygoing personality has also drawn allure. After the game, the 26-year-old took to X and hilariously reacted to her mocking gesture towards Clark. She wrote, “Ayoooooo, I ammmm dramaaaa”.

At any rate, this wasn’t the first time that Carrington did a terrific job clamping down CC. In the season opener, she forced the 2024 #1 pick to commit 10 turnovers and has had her number since then. It proves that Clark, who leads the league in turnovers, needs to pick her ball-handling up at the pro-level.