WNBA star who threw elbow at Caitlin Clark quits league to join new team

Chennedy Carter, who last made headlines for an elbow on Caitlin Clark, has signed with Adelitas De Chihuahua of Mexico’s Latin National Professional Women’s Basketball League

Former Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter, who shot to fame during Caitlin Clark’s standout Rookie of the Year season, has inked a deal with Adelitas De Chihuahua in Mexico’s premier women’s basketball league. Carter’s departure from the WNBA marks another chapter in the league’s history of second chances and redemption stories.

Carter hit free agency without restrictions after the Sky opted not to extend her a qualifying offer. Her name had already been mired in controversy last season following a notorious flagrant foul on Clark that went viral in a 14-second video clip, amassing millions of views and arguably tarnishing her reputation more than her on-court performance ever did.

“It’s one of those things that just happens in basketball,” Carter said in defense of the incident. “It was just like a little tap, like ‘I’m here.’ Not to like harm [her] or anything. So in basketball, a little bit, there are things called talking smack, that’s a part of basketball,” she added. “I think a play before, maybe I was elbowed, okay, that happens.”

READ MORE: WNBA star Rickea Jackson celebrates boyfriend’s selection in first round of NFL DraftREAD MORE: Caitlin Clark’s personal life – $650k house, modest WNBA salary, rich boyfriend

Yet, for Carter, the infamous game against the Fever wasn’t her initial brush with negative press. Just one year after being selected fourth overall in the 2020 WNBA Draft by the Atlanta Dream and receiving All-Rookie Team accolades, she faced an indefinite suspension by the team due to “conduct detrimental to the team.”

Reports later emerged that she nearly came to blows with her former teammate, Courtney Williams, who reportedly asked her to adjust her attitude. After being traded to the Los Angeles Sparks, the problems didn’t vanish.

Carter was benched for poor conduct and ultimately waived after just 24 games, finding herself out of the league by 2023. When no WNBA team rang, she took her skills to Turkey, playing for Elazig Il Ozel İdarespor and Bursa.

Her attempt to return to the WNBA with the Sky under first-year head coach Teresa Weatherspoon followed. Despite scoring a career-high 17.5 points per game and shooting 49 percent from the field, when Weatherspoon was sacked and the Sky changed course after missing the playoffs, Carter once again found herself on the outside looking in.

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Carter’s record outside the WNBA demonstrates her ability to score, no matter where in the world she is. She won the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association’s league MVP while leading the league in scoring with 31.4 points per game.

She scored 50 points in back-to-back games for Wuhan against Xiamen and Shanxi and made league history with two triple-doubles, including a game with 33 points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists, five steals, and a block against Hefei.

Carter’s skills, often likened to those of Allen Iverson, have never been doubted. Although she didn’t receive an invitation to Unrivaled’s domestic 3×3 offseason league, the opportunity to play in Chihuahua will allow Carter to perform without any interference from Caitlin Clark or previous WNBA issues.