On Wednesday, Dallas Wings star DiJonai Carrington put out a social media post decrying critics who think she plays “dirty.”
However, she didn’t do herself any favors two days later when she pulled an opposing player down to the floor by her hair.
Carrington’s Wings took on the Los Angeles Sparks Friday, and Carrington led Dallas in scoring with 16 points in the 93-79 loss. In the third quarter, Carrington and Los Angeles rookie Ashlee Barker were positing for a ball when the Dallas player fell to the floor and dragged Barker down with her with a sharp pull of her hair.
The incident was so rough that even Wings announcer Ron Thulin seemed shocked by it.
“Whoa!” Thulin said while watching the replay. “If she would’ve had extensions, it would’ve come off.”
Carrington was called for a loose ball foul on the play, although many fans watching at home thought it should have been a flagrant foul or led to an ejection.
After Carrington poked Caitlin Clark in the eye during a game last season, some media reports implied it was purposeful, and a line of questioning from USA Today reporter Christine Brennan led to a discussion around the way WNBA players are represented in the media. For her part, Clark said she never believed it was intentional.
“Yall fAnS swear i’m such a dirty player. I’m SO over this narrative bc if u really know bball, u know I jus play hard asf & never give up on a play. & yup, we challenged the last couple flagrants & got em rescinded bc I’m ALWAYS tryna make a play on the ball nun more, nun less,” Carrington wrote on X on Wednesday.