Mercury Coach Calls Out WNBA After Suspending Alyssa Thomas for Fist to Caitlin Clark's Throat

The latest WNBA officiating controversy took place earlier this week when Alyssa Thomas was captured pressing her fist to Caitlin Clark’s throat during a game between the Fever and Mercury.

In the second quarter of Wednesday’s 111-109 win for the Mercury, Clark went to the ground as she was being defended by Lexi Held. Thomas and DeWanna Bonner went down to retrieve the ball when Thomas’s fist then made contact with Clark’s throat. No foul was called. Later, there was also no foul called on Mercury’s Valeriane Ayayi when she appeared to put her feet in Clark’s landing space while defending her.

Stephanie White when asked about Alyssa Thomas’ play on Caitlin Clark:

"It was egregious. The fact that it was a no-call … You gotta call it. It's absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful."pic.twitter.com/btARwvPxmD
— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) June 25, 2026

BACCELLIERI: WNBA Can’t Escape Officiating Woes After Caitlin Clark Takes Back-to-Back ‘Cheap Shots’

The play prompted outrage once again regarding officiating in the WNBA, including from Fever coach Stephanie White, who called the play one of two “cheap shots” on Clark during the game. White specifically called the fist to the throat “crazy” and “dangerous.”

Teammate Sophie Cunningham chimed in on the conversation later in the week on her podcast, noting that she and her teammates did not see the play when it initially took place. “Unfortunately, this type of s--t happens every single game to her and the league and the refs do nothing about it,” Cunningham said. “... You see the videos of literally kneeing and cheap-shotting [Clark] in the throat, if she did that to any of our teammates, we’d be pissed. They’re definitely targeting her and the league and the refs do nothing to protect her.”

The following day, the WNBA suspended Thomas for one game for “recklessly making contact with her fist to the throat” of Clark.

Ahead of the Mercury’s next game against the Tempo on Saturday, which they won 89-80 as Thomas served her suspension, coach Nate Tibbetts defended his star player’s character. He also criticized the WNBA’s process in suspending Thomas.

“First off, the Mercury organization would like to let AT know she’s 100% supported by us,” Tibbetts told reporters. “The people in this league know who AT is. She’s a competitor, she’s a winner and she’s tough. The one thing she is not is cheap. I respect Steph White, I respect her as a coach and as a person, and I understand her sticking up for Caitlin in this situation, but to say we had two cheap shots in that game to me is ridiculous. Steph knows AT, she got the opportunity to coach AT for two years and she knows what AT stands for and what she’s about.”

Phoenix Mercury’s coach, Nate Tibbetts, addressing Alyssa Thomas suspension

“I’m disappointed with the suspension process by our league and our leaders in the W. This was not a thorough investigation in my opinion. The people involved were not questioned at all”#WNBA pic.twitter.com/f7mxNQjJ3U
— Toni Canyameras (@Canyameridis71) June 27, 2026

Tibbetts continued, “Next, I’d like to hit my disappointment with the suspension process by our league and our leaders in the W. This was not a thorough investigation in my opinion. The people involved were not questioned at all. It’s extremely disappointing no one from the league called AT, our security team or myself about what we felt like happened in this situation. There is a protocol to be followed, just coming from the NBA, there’s been many investigations that I heard about that there were calls on both sides, and that was not done in this situation and that’s disappointing.”

Some of Thomas’s teammates echoed a similar message to their coach. “We’re with AT,” Kahleah Copper said, via Dylan Kane. “We just wish it would have been handled the right way. We wish somebody also called her and checked on her and made sure that she was okay. I don't think it played out how it should have professionally.”

Like many across the league, Tibbetts, who is part of the referee task force, agreed that he wants to see improved and greater consistency with officiating in the WNBA, regardless of a player’s status in the league.

“Let’s continue to clean up our game,” Tibbetts said. “... I do think it’s important not to rely on social media screenshots. This is a slippery slope. Let’s watch the whole play, the whole game.

“I hope that we can all agree that consistency is the main thing in how we call these games,” he added. “React to situations like this with consistency, let’s don’t base it on generational talent, fan base involvement, All-Star level players or role players. Let’s don’t base it off veterans or young players or white players or black players or international players. If this is the standard, make this the standard. Even if the roles were reversed in this situation, make the storyline the storyline, and the suspension the same. And let’s just be consistent.”

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