DiJonai Carrington powering Connecticut Sun defense using faith, purpose to plow through pressure-filled start

The Stanford alumnus opens up about her offseason rehab and how she handles social media criticism

By Erica Ayala Jun 15, 2024 at 11:18 am ET• 8 min read

The Connecticut Sun are a league-best 11-1 heading into their Saturday matinee matchup with the Dallas Wings. They lead all teams in overall defensive rating (90.9) and give up the fewest fast break points (8.8) and points off turnovers (13.7) per game in the WNBA this season. 

Fourth-year player DiJonai Carrington has emerged as the driving force for the Sun's excellent backcourt defene. The California-native is often assigned the best offensive guard on the opposing team, and through 12 games, that has meant guarding Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark three times.

If you ask Carrington, guarding Clark is no different than covering any of the other elite scorers in the WNBA that often end up as her defensive assignment. 

"All year, I've been tasked with guarding the best perimeter offensive player," Carrington told CBS Sports. "From Arike [Ogunbowale] to Kayla McBride, Jewell Loyd, there's been a ton, and there's going to continue to be a ton as we go forward throughout the season.