I don't care much about pro basketball, NBA or WNBA, but I know what a league looks like when it's found the player who can change its future. Caitlin Clark is that player, and the WNBA keeps letting her take punishment most stars would never be expected to absorb.
Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas received a flagrant foul 2 and a one-game suspension after the WNBA reviewed Wednesday night's game against the Indiana Fever. The league said Thomas recklessly made contact with her fist to Clark's throat.
WTF pic.twitter.com/6w1u8bbNOV
— From Anywhere 🌍 (@cc22hawkeye) June 25, 2026
Clark later left Indiana's 111-109 loss to Phoenix with a back injury. She finished with 19 points and eight assists in 20 minutes. From Fox News:
Midway through the second quarter, Clark ended up on the floor after trying to drive to the basket. As players scrambled for the ball, Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas appeared to drive her knee into Clark’s thigh and press her fist into the Fever star's neck and throat area. Many, including Indiana head coach Stephanie White, labeled the play a blatant cheap shot.
No fouls were assessed on the play at the time. On Thursday, the WNBA announced Thomas had received a Flagrant Foul 2 penalty and a one-game suspension following postgame review. The league said Thomas was disciplined for what it described as "recklessly making contact with her fist to the throat area" of Clark and said the incident was deemed a non-basketball act.
Later in Wednesday's contest, Clark was fouled by Valeriane Ayayi on a 3-point attempt. Officials reviewed the play but did not upgrade it to a flagrant foul. Clark grabbed at her back afterward and later left the game and did not return. She finished with 19 points and eight assists in 20 minutes before exiting.
Fever head coach Stephanie White said Clark took two cheap shots that weren't called, including the Thomas play and a later closeout by Mercury forward Valeriane Ayayi.
Stephanie White sounded off on the no-call involving Alyssa Thomas and Caitlin Clark during the Fever-Mercury game on Wednesday night. pic.twitter.com/GQCaib71WM
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 25, 2026
Indiana Fever President Kelly Krauskopf put the matter where it belongs: player safety. She said the Fever appreciated the league's review and action against Thomas but added that player safety should be paramount.
The WNBA knows what Clark is worth. The Fever have led the league in road attendance, averaging 16,580 fans away from home as of early June, more than 3,000 ahead of any other franchise.
Casual fans aren't filling those buildings because they suddenly care about midseason defensive schemes: they're coming to see Clark play.
In the NBA, stars usually get the whistle, sometimes too often. Clark is getting the upside-down version. She brings the crowd, the TV attention, the money, and the noise. What does she receive in return? She gets hammered while officials miss the obvious. The league later fixes the call on paper after the bruise has already been delivered.
Jemele Hill is one of those special commentators who sees race in every aspect of her life.
So is he implying that she should receive special treatment because she’s straight and white? https://t.co/z14xxshuga
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) June 25, 2026
Motive is harder to prove than contact. Some fans see the resentment around Clark and ask whether race, sexuality, politics, jealousy, or old league grudges play a role. The evidence on motive remains murky, while the evidence on contact doesn't. A fist went to her throat area; the league called it a non-basketball act, and a one-game suspension followed only after review.
The Phoenix Mercury made things worse: screenshots showed the team's official account posting a cartoon player lying on the floor after the win, with a caption playing off DeWanna Bonner's name.
The post disappeared after backlash; an official team account shouldn't look like it's mocking an injured opponent after a game where the league later punished one of its players for a throat punch.
The WNBA wanted the Caitlin Clark boom; now it has to deserve it. Calling obvious fouls in real time isn't special treatment. Punishing reckless contact hard enough to stop it isn't favoritism. Telling teams to stop acting like injury jokes are clever isn't coddling.
Clark isn't fragile; she carried Iowa, celebrity, resentment, and impossible expectations into a league still unsure whether to embrace her or resent her. But no player can carry a league while the league shrugs at her getting pummeled.
The WNBA has a generational player in its hands; if it lets Clark get ground down because too many people enjoy watching her pay a physical price for being great, the league won't look tough.
It'll look small.
Caitlin Clark brought millions of new eyes to the WNBA, and the league still looks confused about whether to protect her or punish her for being popular. PJ Media VIP cuts through the media spin and follows the story where the facts lead. Join today and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off.
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