The WNBA is setting attendance records, and Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington wants her damn respect, calling out the WNBA for failing to promote the team’s historic game before a sellout crowd on Tuesday night.
The Sun headlined the league’s first-ever game at TD Garden, the home of the reigning NBA champions, the Boston Celtics. Carrington, who dropped 19 points, led her team to a 69-61 victory in front of 19,125 fans – setting a new franchise record.
DiJonai Carrington Says WNBA Failed To Promote First WNBA Game To Sell Out NBA Arena
More important, the game was proof that a WNBA matchup — and one that didn’t involve Caitlin Clark or Cameron Brink or Angel Reese — can still sell out an NBA arena.
Prior to the game, Carrington was already on one and displeased with the promotion the WNBA gave the historic game.
“Since we gotta do our own promo… We’re playing at [TD Garden] tonight & it’s SOLD OUT 19k+. First W game here ever. Historic. Not on tv, but you can catch it right here on twitter,” Carrington said in a post on X, tagging the league directly.
Carrington doubled down on her stance in the postgame presser, adding that the league knew about the significance of their game at TD Garden around a year ago and fell short of capitalizing on the moment.
Carrington Says WNBA Game at TD Garden Should Have Been Nationally Televised
In addition to the WNBA failing to promote the game, she took issue with the game not being broadcast nationally.
“You shouldn’t have to pay for any type of subscription to see a game that’s this historic, in my opinion – I’m biased, but in my opinion,” she told reporters.
WNBA Leaving Food On The Table Chasing Caitlin Clark, Reese and Other Rookies
The general perception is that the WNBA bends over backward to promote Caitlin Clark, who has a $28 million shoe deal with Nike, and Angel Reese, who continues to build on her $2 million WNBA empire with new collaborations with Reese’s, Reebok and Mercedes, but ignores other vital players and areas where money and the moment can be maximized.
It’s almost the same old story with the WNBA despite a $2.2 billion influx of media rights cash from the NBA and all of the increased attendance numbers and obvious signs of potential for women’s basketball as a mainstream sports viewing experience.
A Few WNBA Stars Are Getting Money and All The Props
The apparel line on TheAngelReese.com features jerseys, hooded sweatshirts, T-shirts and hats. Reese’s, which is owned by The Hershey Co., said another apparel line will drop at a later date.
Las Vegas Aces sharpshooter Kelsey Plum is fresh off an Olympics gold medal and also had a recent come-up a few days before her 30th birthday.
Under Armour has released a limited-edition iteration of its court-ready basketball shoe for women, the Breakthru 5, in an aptly named “Plum” colorway.
The look is inspired by both the fruit and her last name, according to Under Armour, executed through the shoe’s purple and orange hues, as well as the “dew” droplets that enhance the uppers.
Combined, Under Armour stated it offers the look “of a fresh plum one might find at a farmer’s market.” They also feature a Kelsey Plum fruit sticker “to give that authentic fruit feel.”
Dij Carrington Says WNBA Dropped The Ball On Promoting Historic Game At TD Garden
All of that is fine, but Carrington is looking at the overall health of an entire league, where salaries are still embarrassingly low, and she is disgusted by the lukewarm way it celebrated a blazing hot moment in WNBA history.
That’s why Carrington used every opportunity that she had a microphone in her hand or a social media app at her disposal to call out the WNBA
“I’m gonna keep it real all the time, and I feel like Connecticut as a franchise is historically disrespected,” she began.
“Sometimes if you want something you gotta go out there and do it yourselves. So, that’s what I did for us. I think that there could have been a lot more publicity or promo from the top. Connecticut had announced that we were having this game probably almost a year ago… There was ample time to do what needed to be done, but it didn’t matter anyway because they showed up and it was sold out. We got the W, so I guess my tweet worked,” she finished.
Carrington was loud and clear with her message. There’s still a disconnect between the league, the players and the new generation and how it all fits as the WNBA and commissioner Cathy Engelbert deal with the sudden evolution of the league.
