The WNBA has been catapulted into the spotlight, though in a less-than desirable way, as they have been dragged into a race row.

Just days after hitting the headlines over a transgender controversy, the league is back under the microscope.

Chicago Sky are struggling for form this season and are sitting 12th out of 15 in the league and fifth out of seven teams in the Eastern Conference. They have four wins and six losses in the last 10 matches, with a losing streak of three matches.

The side had a successful run from 2019 to 2022, winning their first championship in the 2021 WNBA finals as the sixth seed against the fifth-seed Phoenix Mercury.

The Sky were victorious in four games to achieve Chicago’s first professional basketball championship since Michael Jordan’s Bulls in 1998 and became the lowest-seeded team and first without a winning record to win the championship since the new playoff format was adopted.

However, they’ve since had to rebuild with many longtime players leaving the squad. After Angel Reese was traded to the Atlanta Dream in 2026, the Sky replaced her with five signings, including DiJonai Carrington.

Due to her injury in the previous season, Carrington missed the first 27 games of the season. However, upon her return, she dazzled, scoring nine points in 17 minutes to guide Sky to victory against the Connecticut Sun.

Why DiJonai Carrington Went Viral Shortly After Her WNBA Return

Despite this, the 28-year-old has been pulled into a scandal. Following a brutal foul on Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham, which left the Fever forward bleeding from the mouth, Carrington was ejected from the match. The 28-year-old didn’t take this lightly and wrote on her social media: “WHITE PRIVILEGE @indianafever.”

Her caption has generated confusion, with some believing that she was referring to the fact that an African-American player, herself, had been dismissed for fouling a white opponent.

The basketball player has degrees in psychology and African and African-American studies and claimed: “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.”

While her true meaning is unknown, it has led others to criticize her, including the former Fox News host, Megyn Kelly.

Host Controversially Slams Carrington Over ‘White Girl Hair’

Speaking on a recent edition of her show, Kelly showed some photos of the forward, claiming she has ‘hair that’s whiter than mine, straighter than mine, super long.’

Kelly made an outlandish claim: “It goes down to her butt now, and she can wear this, which is obviously white girl hair. But I can’t wear a braid, or I’m a racist. Like, or in Canada, a feather [in reference to Indigenous communities]. No, you can’t do it, but this is fine.

“She’s allowed to culturally appropriate from me, but I can’t culturally appropriate from her because it only works in one way to becoming a racist, which is b*******. How dare she play the white privilege card?”

It wasn’t just Carrington’s hair that the 55-year-old expressed displeasure with in her tirade. She also denounced other aspects of her appearance. She said: “She appears to have done something to give herself filler face, like the super puffed out cheekbones, the overly arched eyebrows, the overly lined lips, and the attitude with like the facial expression and the bright blonde hair.”

Kelly then displayed a picture of Carrington from her college days at Stanford, with the podcaster claiming: “She just looks like a normal, gorgeous gal.”

The host then asserted that Carrington’s attitude has only developed since playing in the WNBA and levelled her criticism at the WNBA, claiming: “This league corrupts you in a very sick and unhealthy way.”

She went further, bristling at the idea of Carrington being a victim of ‘white privilege’.

“This woman, her dad was in the NFL, and apparently was really good. Standout safety in the NFL, who played in two, not one but two Super Bowls during his eight-year professional career. Her mother, Vicky, was a star track athlete.

Then Kelly noted Carrington’s expensive education, with the basketball star attending Horizon Christian Academy, a private school in San Diego costing between $8,000 and $11,000 a year, where she ‘became a highly-touted prospect who played for elite programs’ before attending Stanford University and Baylor University.

Credit: DiJonai Carrington Instagram

Kelly continued: “I don’t know about you, but I didn’t go to a fancy private school that cost 20 grand a year, or have both my parents at home since my dad died when I was 15.

“Both of them earning, both of them with enormous privilege thanks to their God-given talents in the athletic field, one who was a double NFL Super Bowl player. How dare she play the white privilege card.”

Her rant isn’t the first time that Kelly has entered a racial discussion, after she was fired from NBC eight years ago for defending the use of blackface, with an NBC insider telling Daily Mail that her fellow employees were ‘disgusted’ by her comments and ‘didn’t like her personally’.

While it is unclear what exactly Carrington was referring to, the speculation seems certain to rumble on for a while, regardless of her true intentions.

Tottenham Hotspur now reportedly have a ‘high’ chance of completing the signing of Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo, after formally expressing their interest in the player earlier this week.

Gakpo endured a difficult 2025/26 season for the Reds as they slumped to a fifth-place finish in the Premier League, netting just seven goals and providing five assists. Despite this underwhelming form, Spurs have courted the Dutchman throughout the summer as Roberto De Zerbi looks to bolster his squad’s attacking department ahead of the new season.

The Italian is said to be pushing hard to secure Gakpo, and the chances of the deal materialising are now understood to be ‘very realistic’.

That said, Liverpool still need to decide to sanction the 27-year-old’s departure, and this may be dependent on their ability to land a replacement.

Spurs Could Sign Gakpo Before Season Opener

Tottenham focused on strengthening their midfield and defence early in the summer, signing Sandro Tonali for £100 million alongside several other players.

While their squad looks significantly improved as a whole, they have neglected their attack up until now. Their season commences next Saturday when they visit Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium, and De Zerbi is currently on course to name a front three consisting of the likes of Mathys Tel, Richarlison and Mikey Moore.

However, Dutch reporter Blaauwhof gave Spurs supporters hope that Gakpo could be added to the Italian’s ranks before the visit to West London, claiming that the Lilywhites have formally expressed their interest in the Netherlands international earlier this week.

The journalist then provided another update suggesting that the chances of the deal going through are now ‘quite high’.

It remains to be seen what sort of fee Liverpool will be looking for, although given Gakpo’s hefty wages, they may be forced to settle for a modest sum. The wide forward is currently on £250,000-a-week at Anfield, and if he were to earn this in North London, it would make him Spurs’ highest-paid player.

Tottenham Could Have a Completely New Wing Pairing Next Season

via Reuters

Alongside Gakpo, Tottenham are closing in on the signing of Manchester City’s Savinho. The Brazilian is expected to predominantly be deployed on the right in N17, with Mohammed Kudus and Wilson Odobert still recovering from serious injuries.

Gakpo will take the mantle off the left in Xavi Simons’ absence, meaning Spurs could line up with an entirely new pairing on the flanks next term.

As shown by the data above, De Zerbi may look to run his attack through Savinho as the team’s creative outlet, and this could suit Gakpo’s ability to arrive on the end of moves on the other side.

All Statistics via FotMob – correct as of 15/08/2026