Overview
- During a heated game, footage showed Phoenix forward Alyssa Thomas make contact with Caitlin Clark’s throat and the WNBA later upgraded the play to a Flagrant-2 that drew a one-game suspension and a $1,000 fine.
- The play went uncalled on the court and was identified after the game, prompting the league to use its postgame review authority to classify the action as a 'non-basketball act.'
- Indiana’s star Caitlin Clark left the contest with a back complaint and has been ruled out of the Fever’s next game while the team monitors her condition.
- Fever coach Stephanie White and team officials have publicly pressed for better in-game officiating to protect players, while Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts and Mercury teammates defended Thomas and criticized the league’s review process.
- Reporters note this incident fits a wider pattern of hard contact and retroactive flagrant upgrades involving Clark since 2024, a trend that could increase scrutiny of officiating and the WNBA’s review protocols before the teams meet again on July 9.