Overview
- The WNBA reviewed footage of a June 24 loose-ball scramble and upgraded a no-call to a Flagrant-2, suspending Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas one game and fining her $1,000 for reckless contact to Caitlin Clark’s throat.
- Thomas served the one-game ban and returned to play but told reporters she and teammates have received death threats, racist slurs and doxxing since the incident.
- Commissioner Cathy Engelbert issued a public statement condemning hate and the league says its security team has been in contact with the Mercury, while reports say Engelbert exchanged texts with Thomas and directed league security to reach Phoenix security.
- Commentators and former players have sharply divided over the discipline, with some saying the league reacted to viral freeze-frame images and others arguing the retroactive ruling shows necessary use of review to enforce player safety.
- The episode highlights broader, ongoing issues in the WNBA: inconsistent in-game officiating, the league's postgame review power, intense public scrutiny of high-profile players like Clark, and persistent risks that online harassment poses to players and their families.