The WNBA suspended Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas after a heated incident Wednesday night left Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark with an uncalled blow to the throat, reigniting tensions over how the league's officials handle the league's biggest names.
The contact happened in the second quarter as Clark drove to the lane. Thomas, diving for a loose ball alongside teammate DeWanna Bonner, appeared to drive her closed fist into Clark's neck while also making contact to her groin area. Clark stayed in the play long enough to complete a pass to Aliyah Boston before Thomas stepped over her and rose to her feet.
No foul was called on the play.
Fever coach Stephanie White did not wait for the final buzzer to respond. In her postgame news conference after Indiana's 111-109 home loss, White called the incident "absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful." She described both the uncalled contact and a second controversial play moments later, where Mercury forward Valeriane Ayayi was cited for a common foul on Clark's three-point attempt, as evidence of a troubling pattern.
"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, it's absolutely unacceptable."
White later emphasized the danger and consistency issues at stake. "The fist in the throat is crazy. It's dangerous," she told reporters, before pivoting to a larger complaint: "Clark is not called the same way as everybody else is called."
The Fever coach pointed to the previous Monday night matchup between the same teams, a game Indiana won 86-77, as context for her frustration. That contest had devolved into a technical foul fest, with six called on both benches and one ejection. Clark and Thomas had each drawn technicals in that game.
Clark left Wednesday's game in the third quarter with a back injury after recording 19 points. The back issue marks her second absence this season for the same complaint. The 2024 Rookie of the Year has been managing injuries since missing much of her rookie campaign with groin and ankle problems. She is currently averaging 21.2 points and 8.2 assists per game for a team that entered the season as a title contender but has shown inconsistency on defense.
League officiating has drawn heightened scrutiny this season after last year's complaints about physical play and inconsistent calls. A taskforce led by coaches including White spent the offseason reviewing standards and recommending enforcement improvements. The league instructed officials to apply existing rules more uniformly, with special attention to freedom of movement. That effort produced a noticeable spike in foul calls early in the season.
Yet White's frustration suggests the adjustments have not fully resolved her concerns about how star players are treated. "We spent all offseason looking at officiating, and I still say the one thing that we keep asking for is consistency," she said.
Author James Rodriguez: "White is right to push back hard on this, but the league has to decide whether it actually wants to protect its biggest star or just collect more footage for next offseason's task force."
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