Alyssa Thomas gets one-game ban for contact with Caitlin Clark
The WNBA suspended Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas after reviewing contact with Indiana guard Caitlin Clark during Mercury-Fever game.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
2 min read
The WNBA suspended Phoenix Mercury guard Alyssa Thomas for one game after reviewing an uncalled incident involving Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, Reuters reported. The league assessed Thomas a flagrant foul 2 for what it described as reckless fist contact to Clark’s throat area.
According to Reuters, the play came with 6:52 remaining in the second quarter of Phoenix’s 111-109 win at Indiana on Wednesday. Officials did not call a foul during the game.
The WNBA office said it can review game action after the fact and classify a play as flagrant even when it was not ruled that way in real time, Reuters reported. Thomas is scheduled to serve the suspension Saturday, when the Mercury play at the Toronto Tempo.
What happened on the play
Reuters reported that Clark drove into the lane and went down on her side after contact with Phoenix defender Lexi Held. During the loose-ball scramble that followed, Thomas put her fist into Clark’s throat before standing and stepping over her, according to Reuters.
Indiana coach Stephanie White criticized the lack of a whistle after the game. “Number one, you’ve got to call it. It’s absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful,” White said, according to Reuters.
The matchup followed another tense game between the teams two nights earlier. Reuters reported that Indiana’s 86-77 win in that game included six combined technical fouls.
Impact for Phoenix and Indiana
Thomas, 34, is a six-time All-Star, Reuters reported. She is in her second season with Phoenix after 11 seasons with the Connecticut Sun.
Through 18 games this season, Thomas is averaging 14.7 points, 8.4 assists and 6.6 rebounds, according to Reuters. Her absence will leave Phoenix without one of its top playmakers for the trip to Toronto.
Clark left Wednesday’s game with 5:15 remaining in the third quarter because of back issues, Reuters reported. The Fever guard is averaging a career-best 21.2 points, along with 8.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds, through 17 games this season.
Reuters reported that Clark, 24, is a two-time All-Star. Indiana’s next game is Saturday at home against the Los Angeles Sparks.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.