Dream suspend 2020 fourth overall pick Chennedy Carter indefinitely for conduct detrimental to team
The fourth overall pick of the 2020 WNBA draft has been suspended, and that may be only the start of the drama on the Atlanta Dream.
Dream guard Chennedy Carter was suspended for "conduct detrimental to the team," the franchise announced Monday.
Due to conduct detrimental to the team, Chennedy Carter has been suspended until further notice.
— Atlanta Dream PR (@ATLDreamPR) July 6, 2021
The Dream provided no additional details on what led to the suspension of a player who finished second in Rookie of the Year voting last season. Some reports from Sunday paint a vague picture of what happened.
Why was Chennedy Carter suspended?
During the Dream's 118-95 loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, Spencer Nusbaum of The Next reported that Carter got heated when a player tried to talk to her during a first-quarter timeout. Khristina Williams of Girls Sports Talk TV also reported there was an altercation on the Atlanta bench during Sunday's game, though didn't specify Carter was involved.
Carter — who is averaging 14.2 points per game this season — did not appear in the game after the first quarter, and Dream PR reportedly said it wasn't due to injury. After the game, Dream interim head coach Mike Petersen gave a cryptic answer about that decision, per Nusbaum:
Atlanta Dream HC Mike Petersen on Chennedy not returning for the second half: "It's something we're dealing with and that's all I can say."
— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) July 5, 2021
Now, a day later, Carter is suspended.
Carter also spent the preceding night fighting it out on Twitter with a person who implied Carter's conduct was less than above board, another sign of smoke around a now-burning fire.
nah you don’t know me at all !!!! 😂
— H O L L Y W O O D 🛬 (@ChennedyCarter) July 5, 2021
Dream co-owner Renee Montgomery addressed the incident on Twitter.
Building a winning culture means holding ourselves accountable as a team. As we grow through situations, we will work towards helping our players in all aspects. No need to panic, it’s part of the grind ✍🏾#DoItForTheDream https://t.co/SFVNlijZ8G
— Renee Montgomery (@ReneeMontgomery) July 6, 2021
Latest chapter in Dream's turbulent season
This is just another chapter in what has been a turbulent stretch for the Dream, who fired general manager Chris Sienko in April and saw previous head coach Nicki Collen leave the team with little warning in May for the Baylor job.
Williams has additionally reported brewing discontent in the Atlanta locker room, and we're all aware of what happened with the team's ownership in February.
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