Breaking: The WNBA Suspends Mercury's Alyssa Thomas After Upgrading Dangerous Hit to Caitlin Clark

 

Following a physical matchup between the Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday, the WNBA upgrades a no-call fist to Caitlin Clark's throat by Alyssa Thomas a Flagrant 2 along with a 1-Game Suspension.

Physicality Gets Out of Hand Again in an Intense Matchup

On June 24, 2026, the Phoenix Mercury defeated the Indiana Fever in a grueling contest following their loss to the Fever just two days prior. Despite having left the game early with a lingering back injury, Indiana's 2x All-Star Caitlin Clark led the game in scoring with 19 points accompanied by 8 assists. While a look at the box score may make it seem like Clark's success in this matchup came somewhat easy, it was quite the opposite. With the Phoenix Mercury known for their great defense led by the 7x All-Defensive Alyssa Thomas, it was already going to be a challenging game for the Indiana Fever. The Fever gained a little control of this matchup early, creating their largest lead of 8 points in the early second quarter. It wasn't until the last few minutes in the first half that the Mercury would climb back to be down 2 points, but also when a controversial sequence would occur. The Fever and Mercury would toss this lead back-and-forth until the Mercury finally found their rhythm at the right time. It was right at the halfway point of the fourth quarter that Noemie Brochant would sink a breakaway layup to tie the game 91-91, ultimately leading to the Mercury taking the lead and winning the game. If there was one takeaway for the Fever from this matchup it would be that regardless of if there was a hard play or adversity faced such as an injury, it is important to finish strong, win or lose.

The Moment Everyone is Talking About

From reading the previous game-summary above, you may still be wondering what exactly happened. With just under 7 minutes left in the second quarter, Caitlin Clark attempted to take the ball to the basket when she slipped and lost full possession of the ball. During this loss of possession, Phoenix's Lexi Held, DeWanna Bonner, and Alyssa Thomas would swarm Clark in hopes to gain possession. As Alyssa Thomas went to steal the ball from Clark, her right hand clenched a fist that would make contact with Clark's neck. In the moment, no refs saw the contact, nor did they call any kind of foul on Thomas. It wasn't until after the game that Indiana Fever Head Coach Stephanie White would see the footage and call for a review of the contact by WNBA officials for a potential post-game upgrade. Earlier today, the WNBA announced that Alyssa Thomas' contact with Clark has been upgraded to a Flagrant 2 with a 1-Game Suspension. This suspension will be served in Phoenix's matchup with the Toronto Tempo on June 27, 2026.

The Impact Beyond One Game

Protecting the League's Biggest Stars

Following the Fever's loss as well as after taking a look at a few missed calls, White told the media, "We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren’t called. And I just say again, absolutely unacceptable." Continuing to express her disproval, White also said, "We spent all offseason looking at officiating. All offseason. And I still say the one thing that we keep asking for is consistency. She is not called the same way everybody else is called." Although she was emotional during this post-game interview in the sense that nobody wants to lose, White does make a point that some officials don't seem to give Caitlin Clark a fair whistle. While a professional officiating job is certainly difficult and demanding, consistency and safety among players should be of the highest priorities. Not only is Caitlin Clark's safety sometimes jeopardized, but also other superstars and players across the league when calls aren't made soon enough or simply at all.