August 30, 2025, Uncasville, Connecticut, USA: Minnesota Lynx guard Dijonai Carrington 3 looks to shoot the ball against the Connecticut Sun during the game at Mohegan Sun Arena. Uncasville USA - ZUMAw109 20250830_fap_w109_026 Copyright: xDebbyxWongx
August 30, 2025, Uncasville, Connecticut, USA: Minnesota Lynx guard Dijonai Carrington 3 looks to shoot the ball against the Connecticut Sun during the game at Mohegan Sun Arena. Uncasville USA - ZUMAw109 20250830_fap_w109_026 Copyright: xDebbyxWongx
DiJonai Carrington could not hide her emotions. As the Connecticut Sun prepared to play their final game in Uncasville before the franchise's relocation to Houston, the former Sun standout reflected on the chapter that shaped her as both a player and a person.
"It's so sad," Carrington said in an X post by Colin Salao. "Just talking about how much time we got to spend together on those road trips and in the hotels post-game, in the airports. It was so much fun. I literally have some of my best friends that I met from those days in Connecticut. People that will be at my wedding, people that will be godmothers to my children, just stuff like that you can't replicate. And so I'm so grateful for the organization."
She spoke about the early years in Connecticut, when the team still traveled commercially and stayed on the road after games instead of flying charter.
As per the X post by Colin Salao, those long nights in hotels and airports, Carrington explained, created bonds that have lasted far beyond basketball.
UNCASVILLE, CT - JUNE 22: Brittney Griner 42 of the Connecticut Sun holds her son Bash as she shows him how to fist bump DiJonai Carrington 7 of the Chicago Sky following the WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA game between the Chicago Sky and the Connecticut Sun on June 22, 2026 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. The Sun defeated the Sky 92-63. Photo by Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire WNBA: JUN 22 Chicago Sky at Connecticut Sun EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260622156
UNCASVILLE, CT - JUNE 22: Brittney Griner 42 of the Connecticut Sun holds her son Bash as she shows him how to fist bump DiJonai Carrington 7 of the Chicago Sky following the WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA game between the Chicago Sky and the Connecticut Sun on June 22, 2026 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. The Sun defeated the Sky 92-63. Photo by Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire WNBA: JUN 22 Chicago Sky at Connecticut Sun EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260622156
Carrington spent four seasons with the Sun after being selected in the second round of the 2021 WNBA Draft out of Baylor. She developed from a rotational player into one of the league's most disruptive defenders, earning Most Improved Player and All-Defensive First Team honors in 2024.
Her path since leaving the Sun has been far less stable. Carrington was traded to the Dallas Wings ahead of the 2025 season, then moved midseason again to the Minnesota Lynx. A serious left foot injury suffered in the playoffs cut that year short and required surgery.
She signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Sky in the 2026 offseason but missed the first 27 games while completing her recovery, ultimately appearing in just 11 contests and averaging 8.8 points in limited minutes while still shaking off rust.
What does Carrington’s future look like?
Looking ahead, Carrington remained open but noncommittal about where things go from here.
"I honestly don't have many thoughts," she said of the past season, as per the same X post. "I played a handful of games, and even those games were more just each game was just trying to get the dust off a little bit more. So I don't know how to gauge this past season.”
After this season, as per Sportrac, Carrington will enter unrestricted free agency with a reputation as a high-energy defender and versatile wing, though her recent injury history is something teams will weigh carefully.
The emotional weight of the Sun's departure from Connecticut seems to have brought her career full circle. The friendships, the shared hotel rooms, and the grind of those early years remain the memories she holds onto most tightly as another WNBA chapter closes.
Do you think Carrington's injury history will make it harder for her to land a strong free agency deal this offseason?
Written by
Zaid Quraishi