Connecticut Sun star DiJonai Carrington called for the Indiana Fever to “free” her girlfriend NaLyssa Smith, after the forward saw limited minutes in the WNBA Playoffs.

Sep 22, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington (21) walks out before game one of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. Sep 22, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington (21) walks out before game one of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. / Mark Smith-Imagn Images

In this story

DiJonai Carrington was named the WNBA’s Most Improved Player on Wednesday, hours before the Connecticut Sun would advance to the semifinals after eliminating Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever from the postseason.

It was a great night for Carrington. She pulled up to Mohegan Sun Arena in a stunning red pre-game fit and dropped 10 points, 4 rebounds, and two steals.

After the big win, Carrington and Fever forward NaLyssa Smith, who is Carrington’s girlfriend, shared a heartwarming moment on the court.

The two WNBA stars have been dating since Carrington transferred to the Baylor Bears from Stanford for her senior year during the 2020-21 season.

DiJonai Carrington/TikTok

After the game, Carrington took to social media to express her support for NaLyssa, saying she would always be there for her while including a hashtag that caught the eyes of WNBA fans.

The caption read, “#FreeHer,” seemingly urging the Fever to let NaLyssa move on after she received limited minutes in the WNBA Playoffs series.

Carrington has previously called out Indiana Fever fans for being the “worst fans” in the WNBA.

Earlier in the day, Carrington shared messages feature vulgar, racist language that she had received after an accidental eye poke while defending Clark in Game 1 of the series.

The comments and death threats led to NaLyssa Smith sending DiJonai flowers, which Fever fans began criticizing her for.

Now that the Fever have been eliminated, hopefully tensions and the dark side of WNBA fandom can fade back into the shadows, because the game is much more enjoyable when people keep the discussions focused on the game.

Of course, the WNBA is rapidly growing in popularity, and with that comes some boneheads ready to spout off any of their absurd thoughts.