DiJonai Carrington’s latest moment in the spotlight came during a stoppage late in the Chicago Sky’s loss to the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday night. But this time, the attention was not about a foul on the court.
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With 8:47 left in the fourth quarter, Carrington walked over to referee Sarah Williams and pointed toward a male fan sitting courtside. Chicago Sky team security and Chase Center security then moved toward the seating area, and the fan was taken away from his seat and into the tunnel.
The fan was eventually allowed to return to his seat after security reviewed the complaint. A Golden State Valkyries official told ClutchPoints, “The fan was cooperative after a complaint that was unfounded.”
What Happened With the Courtside Fan
The incident happened with 8:47 remaining in the fourth quarter. Carrington approached referee Sarah Williams during a stoppage and pointed toward a male fan sitting in the courtside area. Chicago Sky team security and Chase Center security then stepped onto the sideline and approached the spectator.
Security escorted the fan away from his courtside seat and into the arena tunnel while the game was temporarily stopped. The fan was not ejected from Chase Center. After security spoke with him and reviewed the complaint, he was allowed to return to his original seat for the rest of the game.
A Golden State Valkyries official confirmed the outcome to ClutchPoints through reporter Kenzo Fukuda, saying, “The fan was cooperative after a complaint that was unfounded.”
The specific nature of Carrington’s complaint has not been publicly disclosed. The available video also does not show the fan making any clear gesture, shouting anything, or displaying anything toward Carrington before security arrived.
The broadcast showed Carrington speaking with Williams while pointing toward the courtside area before security approached the fan. The same footage later showed the spectator back in his seat. The broadcast did not capture what Carrington said to Williams or what the fan allegedly said or did.
A USA Network broadcaster said during the stoppage, “I don’t know what was or wasn’t said. I will say respect for the players is something, especially right now, that is being taken very seriously from everybody around the league, as it should be.”
The Chicago Sky did not issue a public statement explaining Carrington’s complaint, while the WNBA and Chase Center also did not release separate statements about the incident. Carrington did not publicly detail what happened after the game.
The WNBA’s Fan Code of Conduct allows security to intervene when there are concerns about fan behavior toward players or officials. In this case, the fan was temporarily removed while security assessed the complaint, but was allowed to return after the complaint was deemed unfounded.
The incident came only four days after Carrington was ejected from Chicago’s August 8 game against the Indiana Fever following a Flagrant 2 foul on Sophie Cunningham. Carrington struck Cunningham in the head and neck area during a fast break, and officials upgraded the foul to a Flagrant 2 after video review.
Minutes after the ejection, Carrington posted “WHITE PRIVILEGE” on X while tagging the Fever’s account. The post drew criticism and led to questions about whether she was connecting the phrase to the foul.
Carrington later pushed back on that interpretation. Responding to commentary from Emmanuel Acho on August 10, she wrote, “I never once claimed that the assessment of the foul was white privilege.” She also said, “I would never use that term as a rhetorical weapon knowing the historical and social weight it holds without having the proper evidence to substantiate it.”
Sophie Cunningham later said the foul was “unnecessary” and “absolutely” intentional, while also arguing that the situation had nothing to do with race.
There is no verified evidence that the courtside fan in San Francisco referenced the August 8 incident or made any race-related remarks toward Carrington.
Another WNBA Player Recently Reported a Fan
A similar situation happened only five days earlier when Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young pointed out a front-row fan during a game against the Indiana Fever and reported a verbal comment. Security stopped play and escorted the fan through the tunnel to speak with her.
After speaking with the fan and nearby witnesses, Indiana Fever and arena security determined that there had been no violation of the WNBA Fan Code of Conduct. The fan was not ejected and later chose to leave the arena on her own.
That incident provides useful context for what happened in San Francisco. In both cases, security acted after a player reported an issue, investigated the situation and did not ultimately eject the spectator after finding no confirmed violation.
Valkyries Pull Away for Fifth Straight Win
The Golden State Valkyries eventually pulled away from the Sky for a 91-71 victory at Chase Center. Golden State overcame an eight-point deficit in the first quarter and took control as its bench helped create separation.
The win moved the Valkyries to 24-9, giving them the second-best record in the WNBA. It was also their fifth straight victory and their 14th win in their last 16 games. Chicago dropped to 12-22.
Golden State’s bench outscored Chicago’s reserves 48-24, while the Valkyries also recorded a franchise-record 16 steals. The defensive effort helped Golden State pull away after the Sky led by eight points in the opening quarter.
Tiffany Hayes led the Valkyries off the bench with a season-high 22 points, along with six rebounds, five assists and three steals while shooting 8-of-11 from the field. Kamilla Cardoso led Chicago with 20 points and six rebounds while shooting 7-of-13.
Golden State’s win kept the Valkyries firmly near the top of the WNBA standings, while Chicago suffered its third straight loss.