WNBA takes action after on-court incident
The WNBA has issued a one-game suspension to Phoenix Mercury player Alyssa Thomas following an incident during Wednesday night’s game against the Indiana Fever. The suspension comes after Thomas made contact with Caitlin Clark‘s throat with her fist. This action occurred with 6:52 remaining in the second quarter and was determined to be a non-basketball act by the league. Officials did not call a foul during the play, but the WNBA later reviewed the game footage.
The league has the authority to reclassify a foul or to classify a foul as Flagrant even if it was not initially called during a game. As a result of the review, Thomas received a Flagrant Foul 2 penalty. She is scheduled to serve her suspension on Saturday when the Mercury visit the Toronto Tempo.
Fever express concerns for player safety
Fever coach Stephanie White commented on the incident after the game, stating that the contact was egregious and that a foul should have been called. She expressed disappointment that such an event occurred, especially given recent tensions between the teams. The Fever organization reiterated its commitment to player safety in a statement released on Thursday.
Kelly Krauskopf, the Fever team president, emphasized that player safety should be a top priority in the league. She acknowledged the WNBA’s review and the subsequent action taken. Krauskopf also noted that the team’s immediate focus is on Clark and the rest of the squad as they prepare for their upcoming game. The Fever are set to host Los Angeles on Saturday night.
This is not the first instance where the league has upgraded a foul involving Clark. In a previous season, Marina Mabrey, then with Connecticut, received a technical foul against Indiana, which was later upgraded to a Flagrant 2. The NBA has also seen similar situations over the years where plays were upgraded, leading to suspensions.
Ongoing tensions between teams
The physical nature of the play between the Fever and Mercury extended into Wednesday’s game, which the Mercury won by a score of 111-109. This followed a Monday night game between the two teams that saw six technical fouls called and one ejection. During that game, Clark received her fifth technical foul of the season. Although the team petitioned the league to have it rescinded, the WNBA confirmed that the technical foul would stand.
Clark experienced a back issue during Wednesday’s game, which led to her leaving the game in the third quarter. She appeared to tweak her back in the second quarter after being fouled while shooting a 3-pointer, falling to the ground and rubbing her back as she stood up. Earlier in the first quarter, she briefly went to the tunnel before returning to the bench with a wrap around her back. She concluded the game with 19 points and eight assists in 20 minutes.
A lip-reading analysis from Jomboy Media provided insight into the Monday game’s exchanges between Clark, DeWanna Bonner, and other players, detailing the verbal interactions that contributed to the technical fouls. The Fever and Mercury are scheduled to play again on Thursday, July 9, in Phoenix.
Read Also
Source: sports.yahoo.com
Mason Reed
Sports reporter covering football, basketball and international competitions.