BOSTON — The Connecticut Sun made history Tuesday when the franchise took part in the first-ever WNBA game played at Boston's TD Garden.
By all accounts, the game itself was everything a fan could ask for. Connecticut's stars shined as the team used a late 14-0 run to defeat the Los Angeles Sparks, and they did so in front of a sold-out crowd of over 19,000 fans, including Olympic gold medalists Jayson Tatum, Jrue and Lauren Holiday .
Successful as the game was, Sun guard DiJonai Carrington entered the night with something on her mind. Hours before tip-off, Carrington took to X (formerly Twitter) to promote the upcoming game while lamenting the fact that it would not be nationally televised.
Hours later, Carrington's performance lived up to the magnitude of the occasion. Connecticut's two-way guard strengthened her case to win Most Improved Player with a game-high 19 points on 8-of-17 shooting to go along with four rebounds, a rebound and a steal.
After the game, Carrington doubled down on her pregame post while providing more context on why she felt that way.
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What did DiJonai Carrington say about the WNBA?
As Carrington's postgame press conference alongside Olympic gold medalist Alyssa Thomas came to a close, the duo's final question came via Zoom and was about the pregame X.
Carrington's response perfectly explained where she was coming from with her thoughts.
"I'm gonna keep it real all the time and I feel like Connecticut, as a franchise, is historically disrespected," Carrington told the media. "So, sometimes, if you want something, you've gotta go out there and do it yourself. So that's what I did for us."
Expounding on her post, Carrington added that she feels the league could have done a better job promoting that one of its top teams would take part in a historic game in one of basketball's historic venues.
"I think that there could have been a lot more publicity or promo from the top," she added. "Connecticut announced that we were having this game almost a year ago, maybe? I don't know. Sometime right after last season, so there was ample time to do what needed to be done."
The Sun, Celtics and TD Garden collaborated to announce the forthcoming game in December. And while the game did sell out, it was only broadcast regionally and on WNBA League Pass.
Carrington made sure to point out the positives despite what she felt could have been better for this specific game.
"It didn't matter anyway. 'Cause they showed up, it was sold out, we got the W. So I guess my tweet worked.
"And the game should have been on a national television broadcast. 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."
As Connecticut's stars exited the press room, Carrington implored us to post the whole clip so that her words wouldn't get twisted. Message understood.
With her play and her words, Carrington is sending resounding messages to the league.
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