Additional Coverage:
- Alyssa Thomas slams WNBA after receiving threats and racial abuse over Caitlin Clark incident (themirror.com)
Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas served a one-game suspension on June 27, resulting in an $8,571 salary loss, after making contact with Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark’s throat. While the WNBA classified the action as “reckless” and a “non-basketball act,” Thomas says the real consequences have been far more severe-namely, the death threats and online harassment she has endured, which she feels the league has largely ignored.
Following Phoenix’s 89-80 win over the Toronto Tempo without her, Thomas addressed the media. She highlighted how the situation has escalated beyond typical sports banter, with AI-generated deepfakes and misleading video edits fueling an intense and often toxic online response.
These fabricated clips have garnered millions of views, compounding the backlash Thomas faces both from genuine criticism and from manipulated content. Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark has reportedly been encouraged to consider leaving the WNBA for opportunities overseas.
Reflecting on past experiences, Thomas noted, “A couple years ago, when we played Indy in the playoffs, it was similar, but nothing like this. Our families and kids are being targeted.
People are sending racial slurs and all kinds of hateful messages. There’s a clear line between trolling and outright hatred, and what we’re facing now crosses it.
This was an accident-no one even realized it happened at the time.”
Thomas criticized the league’s response to the incident, emphasizing a lack of public support for players facing abuse. She specifically called out WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert for her silence amid the threats.
“We still haven’t heard anything from Cathy,” Thomas said. “She remains silent while our lives are being threatened, and that’s unfortunate.”
Her remarks echo sentiments expressed by Napheea Collier during an offseason outburst, where Collier condemned the league’s “tone-deafness,” officiating standards, and pay scale before the new collective bargaining agreement. Collier also claimed that Engelbert told her players like Caitlin Clark should be grateful for the WNBA rather than the league being grateful for such talent.
Thomas revealed that she learned about her suspension only moments before it was announced publicly on social media. This marked the first suspension of her 13-year, 376-game career, during which she has accumulated 31 technical fouls, nine flagrant fouls, and a total of four game bans. In 2024, she was ejected once for a foul involving contact with Angel Reese’s throat.
The suspension came two days after an incident involving Clark, Thomas, and four other players, where all received technical fouls following a heated finger-pointing confrontation. As the fallout continues, Thomas urges the WNBA to do more to protect its players from the harmful and escalating abuse surrounding the sport.