WNBA ‘New Fans’ Sent Message Inspired by LeBron James Incident as DiJonai Carrington Speaks Out

Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington, one of the best defensive players in the WNBA, sent a message to critics that recalled an incident involving LeBron James and FOX News six years ago.

Fans have been harassing Carrington over a social media post she sent last week denouncing Caitlin Clark’s approach to social issues. But the 26-year-old has no plans to back down. “Unfortunately for all you new fans, we don’t just shut up and dribble here,” Carrington wrote on the X platform on Monday. “You picked the wrong league.”

The phrase “shut up and dribble” became infamous in 2018 when FOX News host Laura Ingraham controversially used it on her show “The Ingraham Angle” against James, who had criticized then-President Donald Trump.

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“It’s still not wise to seek political advice from someone who gets paid $100 million a year to bounce a ball,” Ingraham said at the time. “Keep political comments to yourself. (…) Shut up and drool.”

But the conservative commentator’s comments did little to ease the sports world’s political outlook at a time when NFL players’ protests during the national anthem were still a priority from the previous fall. Instead, they seemed to galvanize the athletes.

“We’re definitely not going to shut up and dribble,” James said at the time. “I mean too much to society, too much to young people, too much to so many children who feel like they have no way out. (…) I had no idea who (Ingraham) was. .. until now. So she won in this case.”