Connecticut Sun player DiJonai Carrington dug her long nail into Caitlin Clark’s eye during the Suns’ 93-69 win over the Indiana Fever on Sunday in the WNBA playoffs.

Carrington struck Clark as she attempted to block a pass from Clark in the first quarter. Slow-motion footage showed Carrington flexing her hand as she came back from the block attempt, and digging her nails into Clark’s face. No foul was called on the play.

Carrington denied intentionally trying to give Clark a black eye when he spoke to reporters on Tuesday.

“I don’t even know why I would want to hit someone in the eye,” Carrington said. “That’s nonsense to me. But no, I didn’t. I didn’t actually know I hit her. I was trying to make a play on the ball, and I guess I followed through, and I hit her. So it was never intentional, obviously. That’s not even the type of player I am.”

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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark reacts after being hit in the eye during Game 1 of the first round of the 2024 WNBA playoffs against the Connecticut Sun on September 22, 2024 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. (M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Later in the game, Carrington was seen laughing with Sun teammate Marina Mabrey. Carrington said they weren’t laughing about Clark’s black eye.

“I can’t laugh at something I didn’t know was happening,” Carrington said.

Clark admitted she did not believe Carrington intentionally hit her in the eye when he spoke to reporters Tuesday.

“It was absolutely not intentional. You just watched the play. It was not intentional,” Clark said.

Carrington has antagonized Clark and her fans in the past. During a game in June, Carrington fouled Clark after Clark received an inbounds pass from teammate Kristy Wallace. Clark caught the pass and started toward the basket. Carrington was too late to reach Clark because of a screen from Aliyah Boston, and she bumped Clark.

Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington (21) fouls Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) during the second half of a WNBA game in Indianapolis on Aug. 28, 2024. (AP photo/Michael Conroy)

Carrington was unhappy with the decision, feeling that Clark was overreacting to the offense, and began mocking the Fever rookie, earning a barrage of boos from her home crowd.

After the game, Carrington wrote a hostile message on X, saying, “But I’m a racist, jealous, k—, monkey, hating a– b—- who should go back to Africa if I do it, huh? plssss. Like I said, this is basketball.”

Carrington then responded to a random X user who wrote, “If the races were reversed Carrington would have been ejected.” The WNBA player wrote, “BFFR (be f—ing for real) Paul.”

Later that month, Carrington made another post on X She said Clark should do more to speak out against people who use her name for “racism” and other forms of prejudice.

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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts to a foul during the first quarter during Game 1 of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, Sept. 22, 2024. (Mark Smith-Imagn Images)

“Man. How anyone can not care about their name being used to justify racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia, and the intersectionalities of all of these things is insane,” Carrington wrote. “We all see the (s—). We all have a platform. We all have a voice and they all have weight. Silence is a luxury.”

On August 28, after the Fever defeated the Sun 84-80 in Indiana, Carrington posted a message on X criticizing Indiana fans.

“Indiana fever has the meanest fans in the West,” Carrington wrote.

Carrington’s eye poking was the latest controversial physical incident involving Clark and WNBA opponents this year.

Chicago Sky player Diamond DeShields sent Clark to the floor for a foul that was later overturned to a flagrant foul on August 30. After the game, DeShields posted a screenshot of her Instagram notifications list, which included a series of hateful comments.

Clark was infamously hit illegally by Sky forward Chennedy Carter on June 1. Carter refused to answer questions about the incident during a post-match press conference, but criticized Clark on social media.

Angel Reese, a Sky rookie and Clark’s old college rival, struck Clark in the head with her arm as she tried to block a pass during a game on June 16. Reese has said that Clark’s fans have made racist attacks against her and even sent explicit AI images of her.

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Diamond DeShields of Chicago Sky runs into Caitlin Clark of Indiana Fever and is charged with a gross misdemeanor at Wintrust Arena on August 30, 2024 in Chicago. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

Former NBA All-Star Joakim Noah suggested the Fever address the problem by signing a player who can punish opponents who get too physical with Clark.

“If I were the owner of Indiana Fever, I would bring in a real law enforcement officer to protect her,” Noah told Fox News Digital earlier this month. “Sometimes I feel like she gets beat up because she’s a very talented person.

“But at the end of the day, it’s all about winning games for us. So if I’m the owner (of Indiana Fever), I’m going to bring in a real enforcer.”

The Fever and Sun will play the second game of their first three-game play-off series on Wednesday, with Clark and his team just one loss away from ending their season.

“We can win,” Clark said. “It’s not about the building. It’s not about the gym. It’s not about the basketball. I have all the confidence in the world in this team, and everybody in the locker room does. And I know we’re going to be much better on Wednesday.”

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