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The WNBA has reviewed Wednesday night’s Caitlin Clark-Alyssa Thomas incident.
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 ramming her fist into the throat of Indiana Fever goalie Caitlin Clark during the June 24 game. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
The WNBA announced Thursday that Thomas was punished for “recklessly contacting the throat area” of Clark with his fist.
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The play occurred with 6:52 remaining in the second quarter. Clark drove to the basket and went to the floor as several players fought for the ball. During the stampede, Thomas appeared to ram his fist into Clark’s neck and throat area.
No fouls were called on the play during the match.
The WNBA said Thursday that Thomas’ action was considered a non-basketball related act. The league also noted that its office has the ability, after reviewing any game, to reclassify a flagrant foul or classify any unreported foul as flagrant during a game. The league can also impose a fine or suspension.
Thomas will serve his suspension on June 27, when the Mercury visits the Toronto Tempo.
The WNBA has suspended Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas for committing a flagrant foul 2 against Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The decision came after Fever coach Stephanie White blasted the official following the loss.
“We have generational talent and a WNBA superstar who made two cheap shots that weren’t followed,” White said after the game.
White called the failure to call 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 during a 3-point attempt. Officials reviewed the play but did not call it a flagrant foul. Clark then grabbed her from the back and then left the game and did not return. She finished with 19 points and eight assists in 20 minutes before going out.
Caitlin Clark left the Indiana Fever’s Wednesday game against the Phoenix Mercury after suffering a back injury. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Thomas’ suspension will not change the outcome. Phoenix still won the match, 111-109.
But the league’s decision matters.
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This means that White’s complaints weren’t just post-match frustration after a close loss. At least on Thomas’ play, the WNBA admitted that the refs missed an obvious flagrant foul.
This is the part the league should be concerned about.
Clark is the biggest draw in the WNBA, and the conversation about how she officiates isn’t going away. The league can insist that it reviews plays after the fact, and in this case, it did.
But it’s fair to wonder why a fist to the throat had to wait until the next day to become a Flagrant 2.
