The WNBA finally punished Phoenix Mercury player Alyssa Thomas after she punched Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark in the throat on Wednesday night. The league suspended Thomas for one game for a flagrant 2 foul against Clark in the Fever loss.
Video replay shows Thomas punch Clark in the throat and knee her in the groin. Thomas, 34, and her fiancée/teammate, DeWanna Bonner, 38, double team Clark while she lay helpless on the court.
?Hold up…A closer look at the dirty play by Alyssa Thomas last night w/ a new angle — Wait for the freeze + zoom on each.
– Knee to the groin
– Pinches her underarm
– Fist to the throat
– Attempt to stomp on her (she moved)Why do @WNBA players hate Caitlin Clark so much? ? pic.twitter.com/83JZSChdEu
— HeroOfTheDay (@Hero_OfThe_Day) June 25, 2026
Bonner is Clark’s former teammate. She quit the Indiana Fever last year because she wanted to play on the same team as her fiancée, Thomas.
The Phoenix Mercury tweeted this post mocking Clark after the game. The post has since been deleted.
The suspension was announced after Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White criticized the refs for turning a blind eye to the abuse inflicted upon her star player.
“We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren’t called,” White said after the game.
“The fact that it was a no-call … You got to call it,” White said, adding that the no-call was “absolutely unacceptable.”
The WNBA’s indifference toward Clark comes at a price. Ticket sales are slow and arenas are not selling out this season. Fans are fed up with what they see as a culture of bullying by veteran players like Thomas.