Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter’s past bad behavior, suspensions and attitude problems have come to light in the wake of what some are calling an “assault” on WNBA phenom Caitlin Clark.
The foul came in a tight third quarter where the pair physically shielded each other before Clark appeared to throw an elbow that led to a touchdown and some trash talk. After Carter scored her own basket, she hip-checked the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft, sending her to the ground in confusion and shock.
It was that foul and his subsequent trash talk about Clark that put Carter, who goes by ‘Hollywood,’ back in the news.
It’s not the first time. Between his rise in college and Saturday’s incidents, the former fourth overall pick has been traded and cut from teams due to his off-court behavior, including an incident in which he threatened to fight with a teammate.
Now, she’s on her third WNBA team, making minimal use of her teammates, but that doesn’t mean she’s not making a name for herself.
Chennedy Carter (7) has been in the news lately for a low blow she landed on Caitlin Clark (R)
After a sequence of rough play between the two, Carter knocked Clark down with his hip.
Coming out of high school, Chennedy Carter was a McDonalds All-American, an honor only given to the top college recruits in the country.
The Texas native decided to stay in her home state to attend school and played three years at Texas A&M.
Every year she was there, she averaged at least 21 points per game and was easily one of the Aggies’ best players.
He went to the Sweet 16 as a freshman and sophomore, but lost both times to Notre Dame.
As a junior, he averaged 21 points per game and the Aggies were 22-8 when Covid-19 hit the country and the NCAA Tournament was canceled.
Instead of staying in college for a fourth year, Carter decided to try her luck and entered the WNBA Draft.
Carter was the fourth overall pick in his draft class, being selected by the Atlanta Dream.
She had a stellar rookie season and was a leading candidate for the WNBA Rookie of the Year award before missing six games due to an ankle injury. Carter finished the season strong and was named to the All-Rookie team.
Carter was one of the nation’s top recruits coming out of high school and decided to enroll at Texas A&M, where the Aggies reached the Sweet 16 twice in a row.
After three years in college, Carter decided to declare for the WNBA Draft her junior year.
Carter was selected fourth overall by the Atlanta Dream, having a stellar rookie campaign.
But it was in its second season that ‘Hollywood’ generated more headlines than it could have asked for.
In July 2021 she was suspended for ‘conduct detrimental to the team’. According reports around the time the suspension was issuedCarter got into an argument with another Dream player, Courtney Williams, who asked her to “improve her attitude” during a game.
After the game ended, Carter approached Williams in the locker room and told him he wanted to fight. Once he denied that request for an altercation, Carter backed off. He did not play for the Dream again.
For the 2022 season, Atlanta traded her to the Los Angeles Sparks, where she did not get much playing time: she averaged just 16 minutes per game and played in just 24 games.
She was resigned in March 2023. It was revealed by the Los Angeles Times that Carter had been benched the previous season due to “misconduct.” It was further reported that interim coach Fred Williams benched Carter for four games due to a “coaching decision.”
But the following season, Carter was benched after threatening to hit a teammate.
She was traded to the Sparks, where her attitude reportedly led to her being benched in Los Angeles.
After a year overseas, Carter earned a contract with the Chicago Sky out of training camp.
After playing one season overseas in Turkey, Carter earned an invite to camp with the Chicago Sky, leading to a roster spot.
But with that path, it means the former fourth overall pick is, along with fellow camp invitee Kysre Gondrezick, the lowest-paid player on the Chicago Sky roster at just $64,154 per Spotrac.
And that has led to Carter now being in the news again for Clark’s hip control.
It remains to be seen if Carter will face more punishment beyond the flagrant foul, but this likely won’t be the last time Clark sees any adversity in the WNBA.
