SZA Accuses Sophie Cunningham and DiJonai Carrington of 'Black Privilege' Ragebait
Singer SZA has entered the WNBA discourse surrounding DiJonai Carrington and Sophie Cunningham, accusing them of using "black privilege" ragebait on social media.
The controversy began when Carrington challenged Cunningham for a fast-break layup, making contact with her head and neck area, leading to a Flagrant 2 foul and an automatic ejection. Cunningham was left crashing to the hardwood as the shot went in.
Carrington later posted 'White Privilege' on her Threads handle, which was met with testy social media reactions, including a blast from former NFL player Emmanuel Acho.
A Threads user escalated the rhetoric by writing an inflammatory post, claiming "Black privilege is wearing an ugly blond wig, appropriating white culture, while attacking white women, then whining about the consequences." SZA directly replied in the thread, calling out the user for "ragebait" and accusing them of being a "foreign bot engagement farming off negativity."
Carrington later attempted to clarify her social media post, stating she never meant the foul assessment itself was an example of white privilege. She also addressed the flagrant contact on Cunningham, saying "It was unfortunate that I made contact with her in the way that I did, but it was never intentional."
The incident occurred in the first quarter of the August 8 clash between the Sky and the Indiana Fever, with Carrington playing just three minutes and scoring 8 points before being sent to the locker room.
Fever head coach Stephanie White's refusal to outright condemn Carrington's foul only intensified the controversy, with pundits and other notable figures suggesting White failed to protect Cunningham.
The controversy is still making waves, with the WNBA yet to address the fallout from Cunningham's stance on trans athletes participating in women's sports.
Source: Yahoo Sports