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The WNBA reported the Caitlin Clark-Alyssa Thomas incident as of Wednesday night.
The league apparently didn’t like what it saw.
Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas received a Flagrant Foul 2 penalty and a one-game suspension after the league reviewed her contact with Clark during the Mercury’s 111-109 win over the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas received a one-game suspension after driving her fist into the throat of Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark during the June 24 game. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
The WNBA announced Thursday that Thomas was penalized for “recklessly making contact with her fist to the throat area” by Clark.
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The play occurred with 6:52 left in the second quarter. Clark drove to the basket and went to the floor as several players fought for the ball. During the race, Thomas appeared to slam his fist into Clark’s throat and neck area.
No fouls were called on the play during the game.
The WNBA said Thursday that Thomas’ action was considered a non-basketball action. The league also noted that its front office has the ability, after reviewing any play, to reclassify a flagrant foul or classify any flagrant foul not called as a flagrant during a game. The league can also impose a fine or suspension.
Thomas will serve the suspension on June 27 when the Mercury visit the Toronto Tempo.
The WNBA suspended Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas for committing a Flagrant 2 foul on Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The decision came after Fever coach Stephanie White blasted the referee after the loss.
“We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar that had two cheap shots right there that weren’t called,” White said after the game.
White called the no call to Thomas “absolutely egregious and completely disrespectful.”
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White also criticized a separate play in which Clark landed awkwardly after being fouled by Valeriane Ayayi on a 3-point attempt. Officials reported the play but did not upgrade it to a flagrant foul. Clark grabbed her back afterwards and later left the game and did not return. She finished with 19 points and eight assists in 20 minutes before exiting.
Caitlin Clark left the Indiana Fever’s Wednesday game against the Phoenix Mercury after suffering a back injury. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
The Thomas suspension does not change the result. Phoenix still won the game, 111-109.
But the league’s decision matters.
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That means White’s complaints weren’t just frustration after a close loss. At least on the Thomas play, the WNBA admitted the refs missed a glaringly obvious foul.
That’s the part that should worry the league.
Clark is the WNBA’s biggest draw, and the conversation about how she’s performed isn’t going away. The league can insist that it review plays after the fact, and in this case it did.
But it’s fair to ask why a fist to the throat area had to wait until the next day to become a Flagrant 2.
