Caitlin Clark Vs. DiJonai Carrington In WNBA Playoffs Is Must-Watch TV Given Past Drama

UNCASVILLE, CT – Everyone has been focused on the Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese rivalry, which started two years ago in the 2023 NCAA Women’s National Championship game. 

Rightfully so, since those two are inextricably linked and are arguably the two biggest names in the WNBA. 

But perhaps the biggest Caitlin Clark rival isn’t Angel Reese. It might be Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington. 

Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington has beef with Indiana Fever rookie superstar Caitlin Clark, making their WNBA playoff matchup extra spicy.

(David Butler II/Imagn Images)

Let’s take a look at all the drama between Carrington and Clark – which is very one-sided, by the way, as Clark has never said anything about Carrington publicly – that started early in Clark’s WNBA career. 

First, there was Carrington openly mocking Clark during a game between the Connecticut Sun and Indiana Fever back in June. 

Carrington realized that mocking Clark made her more famous than she had ever been, and she’s used that to her advantage. Carrington later posted that she wouldn’t “shut up and dribble” when people called her out for her behavior towards Clark. 

Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington mocks Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark after committing a foul against the rookie star.

(David Butler II/Imagn Images)

Even though, of course, no one is telling WNBA players to “shut up and dribble.” If anything, the WNBA media is telling new fans to “shut up and watch.” 

Then, Carrington called out Clark for not being “bothered” that her name was being used to justify hate. 

Talk about the Oppression Olympics. Carrington managed to hit racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia and homophobia all in one post. She even threw in “intersectionality” for good measure! 

As if that isn’t enough drama, Carrington is in a romantic relationship with Fever forward NaLyssa Smith, who is, of course, a teammate of Clark in Indiana. 

Recently, Carrington posted about Smith finally getting “some touches” in a Fever game. 

Of course, many people took this as a shot at Clark, who is the team’s point guard and is largely responsible for who gets the basketball on a given possession. 

It could also be a shot at the team’s head coach, or really no one, since it’s a fairly innocuous comment by Carrington meant to prop up her girlfriend’s basketball ability. 

Unfortunately, Smith didn’t help matters when she quoted the post and wrote, “fun while it lasted babe” before deleting her comment. 

Smith scored eight points in the first half, but didn’t score in the second half. She played just 19 minutes, while every other Fever starter played at least 29. 

Of course, the Fever won the game and Clark scored 35 points, so they didn’t really need Smith. 

Still, none of this helps disprove the notion that DiJonai Carrington heavily dislikes Caitlin Clark. Or, at least, people who root for Clark to succeed. 

All of that leads us to Sunday, when the Connecticut Sun and Indiana Fever will meet for Game 1 of their three-game series in the first round of the WNBA playoffs. 

OutKick asked Carrington if she had any message for the Indiana Fever fans ahead of their playoff matchup. 

“No,” she replied before flashing a quick smile. 

Get your popcorn ready!