WNBA player who gave Caitlin Clark a black eye with fingernail explains what happened: 'I didn't know'

Connecticut Sun defender DiJonai Carrington stuck her agelong fingernail in Caitlin Clark's eye during the Sun's 93-69 triumph implicit the Indiana Fever Sunday successful the WNBA playoffs.

Carrington struck Clark portion trying to artifact a walk from Clark successful the archetypal quarter. Slow-motion footage showed Carrington bending her manus portion coming down from the artifact attempt, pointing her nails in Clark's face. No foul was called connected the play.

Carrington denied intentionally trying to springiness Clark a achromatic oculus portion talking to reporters Tuesday. 

"I don’t adjacent cognize wherefore I would mean to deed anybody successful the eye,"  Carrington said. "That doesn’t adjacent marque consciousness to me. But, no, I didn’t. I didn’t cognize I deed her, actually. I was trying to marque a play connected the ball, and I conjecture I followed through, and I deed her. So, obviously, it’s ne'er intentional. That’s not adjacent similar the benignant of subordinate that I am."

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Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark reacts aft getting deed successful the oculus during Game 1 of the archetypal circular of the 2024 WNBA playoffs against the Connecticut Sun Sept. 22, 2024, astatine Mohegan Sun Arena successful Uncasville, Conn.  (M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Later connected successful the game, Carrington was seen laughing with Sun teammate Marina Mabrey. Carrington said they were not laughing astir giving Clark the achromatic eye. 

"I can't laughter astir thing I didn't cognize happened," Carrington said. 

Clark agreed she didn't judge Carrington purposely deed her successful the oculus portion talking to reporters Tuesday.

"It wasn’t intentional by immoderate means. You conscionable watched the play. It wasn’t intentional," Clark said. 

Carrington has a past of antagonizing Clark and her fans successful the past. During a crippled successful June, Carrington fouled Clark aft Clark received an inbound walk from teammate Kristy Wallace. Clark caught the walk and started toward the basket. Carrington was precocious getting to Clark owed to a surface by Aliyah Boston, and she bumped Clark.

Connecticut Sun defender DiJonai Carrington (21) fouls Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark (22) successful the 2nd fractional of a WNBA crippled successful Indianapolis Aug. 28, 2024.  (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Carrington didn't similar the telephone and thought Clark exaggerated the foul and started mocking the Fever rookie, eliciting a barrage of boos from her ain location assemblage portion making the gesture. 

After the game, Carrington wrote a hostile connection connected X that said, "But I’m a racist, jealous, c---, monkey, hatin a-- b---- who needs to spell backmost to Africa erstwhile I bash it huh? plssss. Like I said, this is basketball."

Carrington past responded to a random X idiosyncratic who wrote, "If races were reversed, Carrington would’ve been ejected." The WNBA subordinate wrote "BFFR (be f---ing for real) Paul." 

Later that month, Carrington made different post connected X saying Clark should bash much to talk retired astir radical utilizing her sanction for "racism" and different forms of prejudice.  

FEVER'S CAITLIN CLARK FINISHES 4TH IN WNBA MVP VOTING

Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark (22) reacts to a foul successful the archetypal 4th during Game 1 of the archetypal circular of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs astatine Mohegan Sun Arena successful Uncasville, Conn., Sept. 22, 2024. (Mark Smith-Imagn Images)

"Dawg. How 1 tin not beryllium bothered by their sanction being utilized to warrant racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia & the intersectionalities of them each is nuts," Carrington wrote. "We each spot the [s---]. We each person a platform. We each person a dependable & they each clasp weight. Silence is simply a luxury."

On Aug. 28, aft the Fever defeated the Sun 84-80 successful Indiana, Carrington posted connected X, criticizing the Indiana fans. 

"The indiana fever person the nastiest fans successful the W. ew," Carrington wrote. 

Carrington's oculus poking was the latest arguable carnal incidental involving Clark and WNBA opponents this year. 

Chicago Sky subordinate Diamond DeShields sent Clark flying crossed the level for a foul that was aboriginal upgraded to a flagrant foul Aug. 30. After the game, DeShields posted a screenshot of her notifications database connected Instagram, which included a drawstring of hateful comments.

Clark took an infamous amerciable hep cheque from Sky guardant Chennedy Carter June 1. Carter refused to reply questions astir the incidental astatine a postgame property league but utilized her societal media to knock Clark.

Angel Reese, a Sky rookie and Clark's longtime assemblage rival, struck Clark successful the caput with her limb portion trying to artifact a walk during a crippled June 16. Reese has said Clark's fans person leveled racist attacks against her and adjacent sent explicit AI images of her.

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Diamond DeShields of the Chicago Sky runs into Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and is charged with a flagrant foul astatine Wintrust Arena Aug. 30, 2024, successful Chicago.   (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

Former NBA All-Star Joakim Noah suggested the Fever look to code the contented by signing a subordinate who tin crockery punishment backmost astatine opponents who are excessively carnal with Clark.

"If I was the proprietor of the Indiana Fever, I would get a existent enforcer successful determination to support her," Noah told Fox News Digital earlier this month. "Sometimes I consciousness similar she is getting deed due to the fact that she is simply a precise talented person.

"But, astatine the extremity of the day, we’re successful the concern of winning games. So, if I’m the proprietor [of the Indiana Fever], I’m getting a existent enforcer successful there." 

The Fever and Sun conscionable for Game 2 of their three-game opening-round playoff bid Wednesday, and Clark and institution are 1 nonaccomplishment distant from their play ending. 

"We tin win," Clark said. "It's not thing astir the building. It's not astir the gym. It's not astir the hoops. I person each the assurance successful the satellite successful this team, and everybody successful the locker country does. And I cognize we'll beryllium a batch amended connected Wednesday."

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