NEW YORK — The WNBA has suspended Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas for one game after determining she recklessly made contact with her fist to the throat area of Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark during a regular-season game earlier this week, the league announced. The discipline followed a postgame review of Wednesday night's Mercury victory over the Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The decision is one of the WNBA's most significant disciplinary actions this season and comes amid heightened scrutiny of physical play involving Clark. The league said the incident, which went uncalled during the game, was upgraded to a Flagrant Foul 2 because it constituted a "non-basketball act" under WNBA rules.
In an official release, the WNBA said Thomas received "a Flagrant Foul 2 penalty and a one-game suspension for recklessly making contact with her fist to the throat area of Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark." The league said the play occurred with 6:52 remaining in the second quarter of Phoenix's 111-109 win and noted that its rules allow the League Office to review games, reclassify fouls and impose fines or suspensions after the fact.
Thomas will serve the suspension on Saturday when the Mercury visit the Toronto Tempo, according to the league. The WNBA did not announce additional disciplinary measures beyond the one-game suspension and Flagrant Foul 2 assessment.
Following the game, Indiana coach Stephanie White criticized the officiating crew for not calling a foul on the play. "The fact that it was a no-call … You got to call it," White said after the game, adding that the lack of a whistle was "absolutely unacceptable." White also described the play as "egregious" and "utterly disrespectful."
Indiana Fever President Kelly Krauskopf welcomed the league's review in a statement released after the suspension was announced. "Player safety should be paramount in our league," Krauskopf said. "We appreciate the WNBA's review of last night's incident and the action taken. Right now our focus is on Caitlin and our entire team as we prepare for Saturday."
Clark is expected to miss Indiana's next game because of a back injury sustained during the Mercury matchup, although it has not been established whether the injury was connected to the incident involving Thomas. The Mercury, meanwhile, will be without Thomas for Saturday's game against Toronto as she serves the league's suspension.
