Caitlin Clark nemesis Chennedy Carter forced out of WNBA as new team confirmed

Former Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter signed with Adelitas De Chihuahua in Mexico’s Latin National Professional Women’s Basketball League after a tumultuous WNBA career with conduct issues

Former Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter, who became a viral name during Caitlin Clark’s Rookie of the Year season, has officially signed with Adelitas De Chihuahua of Mexico’s Latin National Professional Women’s Basketball League. Carter’s WNBA exit adds to a turbulent WNBA built on second chances and extra chances.

Carter entered this offseason as an unrestricted free agent after the Sky declined to present her with a qualifying contract. Her name had already become synonymous with controversy last season after she delivered a now-infamous flagrant foul on Clark, which turned into a moment that was captured in a 14-second clip, viewed millions of times online, and arguably did more damage to her reputation than her play ever did.

“It’s one of those things that just happens in basketball,” Carter explained later about the play. “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 continued. “I think a play before, maybe I was elbowed, okay, that happens.”

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Unfortunately for Carter, the Fever game incident wasn’t her first negative run-in with the headlines. One year after being drafted No. 4 overall in 2020 by the Atlanta Dream and earning league All-Rookie Team honors, Carter was suspended indefinitely by the franchise for “conduct detrimental to the team.”

Reports later detailed that she nearly got physical with her former teammate, Courtney Williams, who reportedly asked her to improve her attitude. After a trade to the Los Angeles Sparks, the issues didn’t disappear. Carter was benched for poor behavior and ultimately waived after just 24 games, and found herself out of the league by 2023. When no WNBA team called, she went global and took her talent to Turkey, where she played for Elazig Il Ozel İdarespor and Bursa.

Then came her return attempt to the WNBA with the Sky under first-year head coach Teresa Weatherspoon. Despite scoring a career high 17.5 points per game and shooting 49 percent from the field, when Weatherspoon was fired and the Sky pivoted directions after missing the playoffs, Carter once again became the odd woman out.

Carter’s resume outside the WNBA showcases her ability to put the ball in the basket, regardless of her location on the globe. 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 etched her name into 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 skill set – often compared to that of Allen Iverson’s – has never been in question. While she wasn’t able to get an invite to Unrivaled’s domestic 3×3 offseason league, Chihuahua will give Carter a chance to play without any Caitlin Clark or past WNBA issues.