One of the biggest stories in the WNBA over the past two days is the incident involving Alyssa Thomas and Caitlin Clark.
The league announced on Thursday afternoon that Thomas has been suspended for one game after her fist made contact with Clark’s throat during Wednesday’s game between the Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury.
It was initially a no-call, which prompted Fever coach Stephanie White to blast the officials after the Fever’s 111-109 loss. The league ended up upgrading it to a Flagrant Foul 2 penalty, which is an automatic one-game suspension.
Thomas will serve the suspension on June 27 against the Toronto Tempo, as per WNBA.com.
Stephanie White on Alyssa Thomas
GettyHead coach Stephanie White of the Indiana Fever reacts during the fourth quarter against the Chicago Sky at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on September 05, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Speaking to reporters after Friday’s practice, Stephanie White was asked about what Alyssa Thomas did to Caitlin Clark. White coached Thomas for two seasons when she was in charge of the Connecticut Sun from 2023 to 2024.
The Fever coach was surprised about what Thomas did, but she continued to call out the referees for missing what happened in real time.
“I didn’t see it in real time,” White said, via James Boyd of The Athletic. “I went back to see it. Yeah, I was surprised. I was more surprised that it wasn’t seen by the officials in real time. … I feel like the officials are watching the ball and nobody’s watching the play. We have players on the ground, certainly things are gonna happen. I was very disappointed that they didn’t see that.”
Clark was hit in the throat midway through the second quarter when the ball was loose and players dove to retrieve it.
The Indiana Fever then ruled Clark out for the rest of the second half after seemingly tweaking her back toward the end of the first half. She’s been ruled out of Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Alyssa Thomas Incidents Over The Years
GettyNapheesa Collier #24 of the Minnesota Lynx congratulates Alyssa Thomas #25 of the Phoenix Mercury following Game Four of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs semifinals at PHX Arena on September 28, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Some fans weren’t happy with the WNBA and the referees for allowing Alyssa Thomas to continue being physical against her fellow players. Thomas’ history was uncovered following her recent incident with Caitlin Clark.
During Game 3 of the 2022 WNBA semifinals between the Connecticut Sun and Chicago Sky, Thomas collided with Candace Parker in the first half. Parker was in pain after the play, but she didn’t suffer any major injury.
Parker would later make comments about Thomas’ physicality after Napheesa Collier was injured in last year’s playoffs. Collier collided with Thomas during a play, leading to an ankle injury that kept her out for the Minnesota Lynx in their WNBA semifinals matchup against the Phoenix Mercury.
In May 2024, Thomas was called for a Flagrant Foul 2 penalty for slamming Angel Reese to the ground during a game between the Sun and Sky, as reported by ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.
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