5 Things To Know About Unrivaled Star DiJonai Carrington: Astounding Academic to Activist Athlete
Buckle up, it’s seatbelt season.
In a league where 18 out of 36 players are out as LGBTQ+, Unrivaled is just the beginning of many more groundbreaking and exciting things to come for queer athletes. For queer women’s basketball superfans who’ve long been shooting their shots or newbies who are breaking their ankles to learn all the lore about one of the gayest professional sports leagues, we’re highlighting all the GOated things about its queer players that make them the greatest. This week, we’re spotlighting one of the best defensive players in the league, DiJonai Carrington, AKA Nai.
Hitting the Books
DiJonai Carrington had an astounding academic and athletic career in college. She graduated early from Stanford University with two undergraduate degrees in African and African American Studies and Psychology. The former Cardinal played for Stanford for four seasons and accumulated 912 points, 133 assists, 106 steals, and 553 rebounds. She transferred to Baylor University for graduate studies and earned a Masters in Educational Leadership and Administration. In the one season she played at Baylor, she started in all five games she appeared in. She was also a recipient of the Pac-12 Honor Roll, a recognition given to athletes who have a grade point average of 3.3 or above.
Pushing Progress
Carrington has spent four years playing in the WNBA. In the 2021 WNBA Draft, she was the No. 20 pick for the Connecticut Sun, where she played guard. During her career, she’s established herself as one of the WNBA’s most elite guard defenders, with average career highs of 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.56 steals. She was named the 2024 Most Improved Player of the Year and given the honor of being on the WNBA All-Defensive First Team. She was acquired by the Dallas Wings in a recent four-team trade with Connecticut, Phoenix, and Indiana. In Unrivaled, she plays on the Mist team.
An Active Activist
The unapologetically outspoken guard is not afraid to voice her opinion. Carrington has used her social media platforms to urge the WNBA to make a clear stance on the Trump administration’s policies, which will directly impact players in the league. At the beginning of the Unrivaled season, she used the pre-game outfit tunnel to her advantage by wearing a vintage YG F*ck Donald Trump hoodie. In an Unrivaled press conference, when asked about the WNBA’s expected response to Donald Trump’s presidency, she said “I definitely hope that happens soon. And obviously, it’s still pretty fresh, but we see some policies are already going into action. And of course, that means that as the WNBA, being at the forefront of a lot of these movements, it’s time for us to take action.”
Teammates to Lovers
Carrington and Indiana Fever player NaLyssa Smith’s relationship has had the WNBA sapphic community in a frenzy. The WNBA power couple addressed in an Instagram livestream they had been dating on and off since the 2020-2021 season at Baylor University. At the beginning of the 2024 WNBA season when the two were allegedly broken up, a clip of them playing against each other had fans hot and bothered. Smith accidentally knocked Carrington to the ground and picked her up by the waist. “The moment the family got back together,” captioned one YouTube user. After confirming they rekindled their romance in September by teasing the possibility they might be engaged, the couple will get to be teammates again in the 2025 WNBA season on the Dallas Wings. Let’s go lesbians!
Star-Studded Success
Throughout her career, Carrington has secured many exciting partnerships. She maintained an endorsement deal with Savage X Fenty and became the WNBA’s official underwear partner in an announced brand deal with Skims. Recently, she showcased her basketball skills at the Hennessey Arena in a 2×2 women’s basketball tournament and was named the 2025 champ alongside Arika Ogunbowale.
