Did teams not sign Chennedy Carter for Caitlin Clark foul?

Has Chennedy Carter played her last game in the WNBA? That’s the question on most pundits’ minds entering the 2025 WNBA season as the former Chicago Sky combo guard and the team’s leading scorer from last season was left out of the Sky’s training camp roster.

A few days after the shocking reveal, news broke that Carter signed a contract to play for the Adelitas de Chihuahua in Mexico, a team in Mexico’s Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional Femenil.

Carter is best known to casual WNBA fans for an incident this past season with Caitlin Clark that created an internet firestorm. But was bullying the league’s newest star the only reason WNBA teams did not sign Carter?

Chennedy Carter was never short on talent

Entering the WNBA in 2020, the Atlanta Dream selected Carter fourth overall. She even made history by being the highest draft choice in Texas A&M history.

As a rookie, Carter earned a starting role immediately. Before an ankle injury sidetracked her season, Carter was the favorite to win Rookie of the Year. She accomplished feats such as breaking the WNBA record for the youngest player to score 30 points in a game and was the fourth rookie in Dream history to score 25+ points in at least four games.

After two seasons, the Dream traded her to the Los Angeles Sparks. She struggled to find consistent playing time in LA but got her groove back when she signed with the Sky in 2024. She averaged 17.5 PPG, shooting 48.7% from the field in 33 games. However, once her one-year contract ended so did a potential future in the WNBA.

Despite winning Player of the Year and averaging more than 32 PPG this past offseason hooping in China, Carter was a free agent just a few weeks before the WNBA season.

Chennedy Carter’s lack of WNBA interest stems from locker room issues

Dating back to her days in Atlanta, Carter developed a bad reputation for her attitude. In the middle of her second season with the Dream, she’d only played in 11 of their 40 games. The reason? The Dream suspended her for conduct detrimental to the team.

News later broke that one of Carter’s questionable behaviors was wanting to fight one of her teammates, who simply asked her to improve her attitude during games.

Once she moved on to the Sparks, nothing changed. In her lone season in LA, the Sparks waived Carter after 24 games for her poor conduct behind closed doors.

Carter decided to make 2023 a year of reflection and opted to sit out the season. Hoping things would change, the Sky decided to take a risk and signed Carter to a one-year deal in 2024.

On and off the court, Carter showed not much had changed. On the court, her talent was undeniable. Off the court, Carter’s behavior created a challenging dynamic for the Sky. She only made her reputation worse when Carter went viral for an off-ball hip check on Caitlin Clark that the league office later deemed a flagrant foul.

At 26 years old, Carter still has a bright basketball career in the future. Whether that future will be in the WNBA remains to be seen.