The WNBA has never received more attention than it does right now. Ironically enough, more eyes on the league also means more attention on everything that happens away from the basketball court. That became painfully clear when the private breakup between DiJonai Carrington and NaLyssa Smith suddenly turned into one of the messiest public controversies the league has seen in years.
Carrington publicly accused Smith, her former girlfriend and teammate, of cheating on her with multiple WNBA players. Carrington named Deja Kelly and Aaliyah Nye in social media posts, while Smith later questioned why her ex decided to make the allegations public long after their relationship ended. Neither Kelly or Nye has publicly addressed the accusations, and Carrington’s claims have not been verified. Still, the situation quickly swallowed the WNBA conversation following All-Star Weekend and showed just how closely fans are now following the players’ lives beyond basketball.
The Carrington-Smith drama is only the latest example of controversy becoming much bigger than the league initially expected. Over the years, the WNBA has dealt with everything from explosive accusations about its locker room culture or international political crises, violent on-court altercations and debates that became conversations about race, sexuality and gender. Here are some of the biggest controversies that rocked the league.
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