WNBA analyst defends horror foul on controversial Sophie Cunningham during 'anti-trans' saga

Andraya Carter of the WNBA Countdown crew appeared to defend DiJonai Carrington’s flagrant foul on Sophie Cunningham, amid the latter’s ‘anti-trans’ remarks saga.

Cunningham has made headlines recently as an advocate for keeping transgender women athletes out of women’s sports, prompting backlash and support from within the WNBA.

On Saturday, the Indiana Fever took on Chicago Sky and prevailed in a tight 90-86 victory, with Cunningham and Carrington’s altercation taking emphasis away from the scoreline.

Cunningham, who plays Guard for the Fever, approached the basket looking to make an easy lay-up, before Carrington, who plays Guard-Forward for the Sky, took her out in what appeared to be a blatant flagrant foul.

The action was called as such, with Carrington seemingly making no real effort to block or steal the ball; instead, she crashed an outstretched arm directly into the Fever player’s face, sending her crashing to the floor.

Cunningham stood up promptly and lunged towards the 28-year-old, however, she was shepherded away by members of her team and the opposition.

The Fever Guard, who recently claimed “I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men”, became the subject of a WNBA Countdown crew segment yesterday evening, who appeared to defend Carrington’s flagrant foul and asserted that Cunningham’s identity played no role in the altercation.

'To me, this wasn't because it was Sophie Cunningham making the lay-up' - WNBA analyst claims that Carrington’s foul was characteristic of her defensive style, only mistimed

Cunningham has doubled down on her stance regarding transgender women athletes in recent weeks, and was criticised by ex-USA forward Megan Rapinoe after the WNBA star was pictured with conservative, 'anti-trans' influencer Riley Gaines.

The Fever Guard recently said: “I said what I said. I think it’s common sense… It's really important to protect children. I’ll always believe that. I’m not a very political person, but I do have beliefs and morals. People will take it how they want to take it… but I feel very strongly about [it].”

Cunningham’s words were seemingly referenced by Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve last week, who wore a shirt that read ‘Trans Kids Belong’ during a WNBA game.

In the aftermath of Carrington’s foul, which many fans claimed was motivated by Cunningham’s identity in light of recent controversies, the WNBA Countdown crew have refuted such claims.

Carter, a prominent analyst on the panel, said: “Jumping over the top, she’s always going to make that effort. She was behind Sophie Cunningham, [but] she wasn’t able to get over the top.

“This is what DiJonai Carrington does… had she got over the top and made that play, we wouldn’t even be talking about it. She was too far behind the play, and the contact was too much," she continued, as clips were played of Carrington making block attempts from behind various WNBA players and getting over the top of them.

“To me, this wasn’t because Sophie Cunningham was making the lay-up,” she surmised. Carrington made additional headlines after the game for a social media post, after her foul was deemed a flagrant two due to ‘unnecessary and excessive [contact] to a player in a vulnerable position.’

The Sky Guard-Forward wrote ‘WHITE PRIVILEGE’ on Instagram Threads minutes after the decision, and tagged the Indiana Fever’s team account.

When questioned about the foul, Cunningham claimed that Carrington has “some pent-up stuff” and that “she wants attention.”