The WNBA has suspended Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas for one game after she struck Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark in the throat with a closed fist during Wednesday night's match. The incident occurred in the second quarter of the Mercury's 111-109 road victory, when Clark was driving to the basket and fell to the floor amid a scramble for the ball involving Thomas and teammate DeWanna Bonner. Thomas appeared to knee Clark in the groin before her fist made contact with Clark's throat as she got up and stepped over the fallen player.
The on-court officials did not call a foul, prompting a furious reaction from Fever coach Stephanie White. In her post-game news conference, White accused the officials of allowing 'cheap shots' at Clark and claimed the lack of calls followed a pattern of unequal treatment. 'We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren't called,' White said. 'And I just say, again, absolutely unacceptable.' The league later reviewed the play and upgraded it to a Flagrant Foul 2, a classification that carries an automatic suspension.
Less than a minute after the no-call, Mercury forward Valeriane Ayayi fouled Clark as she attempted a three-pointer, with Clark landing on Ayayi's foot. White argued the foul should have been elevated to a flagrant for restricting Clark's landing space, but officials upheld it as a common foul. White also referenced Monday's meeting between the two teams, which featured six technical fouls and an ejection. 'No 1, you gotta call it. It's absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful,' she said. 'And then No 2, you're coming in here aware of what happened two nights ago, and that shit still happens? Absolutely unacceptable.'
Clark finished with 19 points before leaving in the third quarter with a back injury, an ailment that has sidelined her previously this season. The 2024 Rookie of the Year is averaging 21.2 points and 8.2 assists per game. The Fever have struggled for consistency despite leading the league in offensive scoring at 92.1 points per game, while conceding 88.9 points per contest and allowing 100 or more in seven of their 18 games.
Thomas, who recorded 24 points and eight rebounds on Wednesday, will serve her suspension on Saturday when the Mercury visit the Toronto Tempo. The league has previously retroactively upgraded fouls against Clark, including a technical foul by Marina Mabrey last season that was later changed to a Flagrant 2. The WNBA has also emphasised stricter officiating this season following a taskforce review, with coaches including White calling for greater consistency. 'We spent all offseason looking at officiating, and I still say the one thing that we keep asking for is consistency,' White said. '[Clark] is not called the same way as everybody else is called. The fist in the throat is crazy. It's crazy. It's dangerous.'
