After being sidelined since September 20, 2025, and missing the first 27 games of this season, DiJonai Carrington finally made her season debut against the Connecticut Sun on Thursday. Her return to the court was a major boost for the Chicago Sky, who are struggling at #13 in the league standings, as they defeated the Sun 94-88. The immediate impact Carrington had after watching her team go 9-18 from the sidelines to helping them break a two-game losing streak got the fans talking.

Last year, Carrington’s season ended abruptly when she picked up a significant left mid-foot injury during Game 2 of the playoffs against the Golden State Valkyries. Back then, she played for the Minnesota Lynx.

“The last 10 months have been one of the most challenging and transformative journeys of my life, and I’m incredibly grateful to be back,” Carrington told ESPN ahead of the game, with Sky head coach Tyler Marsh telling reporters that she was “looking great” during practice leading up to the game.

“First and foremost, I want to thank God, along with my village and rehab team, for uplifting me throughout this process. I’m really proud of the resilience, discipline, and perseverance it took to get back to this moment. Now I’m just excited to be back doing what I love and ready to help my team however I can to make a strong late-season push,” said DiJonai Carrington.

Following the injury she sustained against the Valkyries, it was announced that the 28-year-old would miss the rest of the postseason and would need to undergo surgery. She underwent the initial surgery in October 2025 before going for a follow-up surgery to remove the hardware in April of this year.

Since then, Carrington spent all her time in rehab and recovery and counting the days until she could return to the court. Meanwhile, the Sky management felt that Carrington could be the missing piece that the team needed.

They signed her on a one-year contract in April, and there was genuine excitement in the Sky front office when she arrived.

“We’re thrilled to bring DiJonai to the Sky,” general manager Jeff Pagliocca told ESPN at the time of Carrington’s signing.

“She brings speed, defense, versatility and a fierce competitive spirit, and we can’t wait to see her electrify Skytown.”

However, Carrington’s road to recovery took a little longer than anticipated as she couldn’t start the season with her new team. She started individual workouts earlier in July, but when she did return, she made quite the impact despite playing just 17 minutes.

Chicago Fans Are Happy To See Carrington Back On Court

Having waited more than half a season to see Carrington take the court, the Chicago Sky finally had the chance to share the joy on her debut.

“I MISSED NAI HOOPS😭😭,” one fan said.

“SHE’S BACKKKK 😛💙,” another fan added.

Despite not even playing 20 minutes, Carrington scored 9 points and 3 rebounds off the bench. She also had an impressive free-throw and 3-pointer completion rate, scoring 2-3 of her 3-pointers and 3-4from the free-throw line.

“I wish the Sky had their whole starting lineup,” another fan said.

This comment reflected the current state of the Sky, because Carrington isn’t the only major player who was sidelined. Rickea Jackson is out for the remainder of the season after suffering a torn left ACL in mid-May. Skylar Diggins has been sidelined indefinitely due to a lingering right knee injury, missing consecutive games. Finally, Gabriela Jaquez has also missed multiple games due to an unspecified knee injury.

“Just in time 🤭🤭,” one fan said.

“Perfect timing!” another fan expressed.

Now with a 10-18 record, the timing couldn’t be more perfect for Carrington to make her season debut. If the Sky want to make a late push for a playoff spot, they will need key players like Carrington to be fit and firing.

With the team winning three of their last five games, and Carrington coming off the bench for now, the fans will hope for more consistency from the Sky. In fact, they’ll need Carrington at her best if they want to beat #2 Las Vegas Aces in the next game.