Connecticut Suns forward Di'Jonai Carrington, who gained internet infamy last weekend for poking Caitlin Clark in the eye, has been named the 2024 WNBA Player of the Year.
In his first year as a regular player, the 26-year-old Carrington has increased his scoring average by nearly five points per game and his rebounding average from three to five per game.
But Carrington's most memorable moment this year was poking Caitlin Clark with her finger during the first of a three-game series between the Sun and Fever on Sunday.
The Most Improved Player of the Year denied intentionally poking Clark in the eye, even though Carrington had clearly bent his hand at a downward angle and reached his finger into Clark's eye socket. USA Today Christine Brennan asked about it.
“I don't know why I tried to hit somebody in the eye. It just doesn't make sense to me. But I didn't. I didn't actually think I hit him. I think I was just trying to hit the ball and just carried on and I ended up hitting him. So, obviously, it was never intentional. I'm not that type of player.”
Clark, however, denied that the eye poke was intentional.
“[Carrington] “We made a lot of eye contact, but I don't think it affected me. I felt like I had some good shots. I just didn't make them. It was a tough time for that to happen. I thought I shot the ball really well. I made three really open 3-pointers in the first half. Usually they go in.”
Sunday was not the first flare-up between Clark and Carrington.
In June, Carrington taunted Clark after he ran into a Fever guard on an inbounds pass.
But Clark had the last laugh in the regular season, when Carrington tried to “shut up” the crowd after a basket against Indiana, only to be quickly defeated by Clark.
Friday's Game 2 between the Fever and Sun will be a must-win for Clarke and the Fever. Game 1 drew 1.84 million viewers, making it the most-watched WNBA game since 2000.
