AWNBA star has been accused of intentionally poking Caitlin Clark in the eye at the start of the Playoffs series between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun as the Sun won 93-69 on Sunday, September 22.
The 22-year-old has been regularly targeted by fouls throughout the season, more than anyone else, such as by players like Angel Reese and Chennedy Carter of the Chicago Sky, and now it seems as though Dijonai Carrington might have got in on the act.
As first pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft went to pass to her teammate for a shot at the basket during Game 1 of the series, Carrington rushed in to block the effort and as she came down from her jump she made contact with Clark‘s eyes by her fingers.
The youngster, who is likely to win Rookie of the Year and could even win MVP, was left with a black eye because of the moment but referees elected not to call the play up for a foul, either unintentional or flagrant.
It may have been an accident but OutKick’s Bobby Burack suggests Carrington intentionally angled her fingers, particularly her nails, towards the ex-Iowa Hawkeye’s pupils.
“But if you look closer,” Burack writes for OutKick. “It appears to me that Carrington quite clearly did not poke Clark in the eye by accident.
“As shown via several angles, Carrington seems to have jabbed Clark in the eye with her nail. You will also notice Carrington did not check on Clark afterward.”
Caitlin Clark poked in the eye by Dijonai Carrington.
No foul given.pic.twitter.com/QcgX9Py4du
— OutKick (@Outkick) September 22, 2024
Is there bad blood between Clark and Carrington?
Another replay of the incident showed a sudden change of direction from the Sun’s 21 down towards Clark’s face and her right eye, whilst Carrington is looking at her before immediately turning her attention to follow the ball after.
Whilst it would be inappropriate to say that she intentionally tried to hurt the Fever player, who has averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game, she has received condemnation for the incident.
But there is history between them, or at least from Carrington’s direction towards Clark, from earlier on in the WNBA regular season.
The Sun player had already fouled Clark in June, mocking her as a “flopper”, whilst in August she hit out at the Fever‘s fans by calling them “the nastiest fans in the W.”
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Carrington also accused her fans of racism after footage of Clark getting physical with a Washington Mystics player surfaced online.
“But I’m a racist, jealous, c**n, monkey, hatin a** b***h,” Carrington wrote on X.com, formerly Twitter, as per OutKick. “Who needs to go back to Africa when I do it huh? Plssss.”
