"Not letting anyone hit me in my face": DiJonai Carrington makes her stand clear after altercation with Jaylyn Sherrod goes viral

Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington got into her altercation with the New York Liberty’s Jaylyn Sherrod on Saturday, which escalated as the highly anticipated Sun-Liberty game neared its end. She addressed the altercation shortly after the game.

With under 30 seconds remaining and the Sun leading 72-64, Carrington was under pressure from the Liberty defense, particularly from a tenacious Sherrod. When a foul was called and Sherrod fell, she pushed Carrington on the leg.

The confrontation led to both players receiving double technical fouls. Carrington took to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify that it wasn’t personal, but she was not pleased with being repeatedly struck in the face.

“Nothin ever personal wit me, but I’m sorry I’m not letting anyone jus hit me in my face over n over... that’s my money maker 🤷🏽‍♀️,” she said.

DiJonai Carrington ended the game with 13 points on 6-of-14 shooting, as the Sun stunned the top-seeded Liberty and secured a playoff spot on the same day.

The Sun snapped the Liberty's eight-game winning streak and notched their third consecutive win to improve to a 22-7 record. The Liberty fell to 25-5 but retained the league’s best record.

Brionna Jones and DeWanna Bonner contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively. But it was bench players Marina Mabrey and Olivia Nelson-Ododa, with 15 and 12 points respectively, who stole the show.

DiJonai Carrington’s is having the best season of her career

Drafted 20th overall in the 2021 WNBA Draft, DiJonai Carrington has shown steady improvement each season with the Connecticut Sun.

In her rookie year, she averaged just 2.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game, largely coming off the bench and starting only once.

Her performance improved in the following season to 6.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists, and she further progressed to 8.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 2023, finishing as the runner-up for the Sixth Player of the Year award.

This season, she’s set career highs with 12.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

Sun coach Stephanie White has commended Carrington for her consistent growth.

“DiJonai is a prime example of what a typical progression in this league is, and of someone that when the opportunity is there for them they take full advantage of it,” White said in July (per MassLive).

“She’s been incredibly consistent for us all season long on the defensive end of the floor.”

Having started just three games prior to this season, DiJonai Carrington has started all 28 games she’s played this year, averaging 29.0 minutes per game.