Alyssa Thomas addressed her second-quarter scuffle with Caitlin Clark today, and did so in a big way. Thomas called out both the WNBA and the league's Commissioner Cathy Engelbert for failing to check on her, and for not doing enough to make sure players in the league are safe. Thomas specifically addressed the fact that she's received death threats and written abuse after she was suspended for one game.
Thomas also said she and her teammates did not realize anything that could have been interpreted as a foul even happened in the moment, and noted the moment her fist slipped onto Clark's throat was an accident. According to Thomas, she found out about her suspension online minutes before it was shared online.
Clark and Thomas became mired in controversy during the second quarter of the Indiana Fever's game against the Phoenix Mercury last week. Clark fell to the floor in pursuit of the basketball and Thomas fell on top of her. Video and photo from the game seemed to suggest Thomas put her fist onto Clark's neck when she stood back up. Play continued in the game, and Thomas was only evaluated for a foul afterward.
Alyssa Thomas shouldn't have to defend herself like this
It's one thing for Thomas to have accidentally put her fist on Clark and to be expected to address it somehow—that's something that wouldn't be strictly necessary (plays like that happen all the time in basketball), but the moment surprised fans and prompted a lot of speculation online. But Thomas—or any player in the WNBA—should not be tasked with defending themselves against threats, racism, and homophobia.
Last year, the WNBA unveiled a "No Space for Hate" campaign early in the 2025 season. The campaign was ostensibly meant to "combat hate and promote respect across all WNBA spaces." Those spaces includes games and arenas, but also online conversation and discourse. The league said at the time that the surge of interest in the WNBA was part of the motivation for establishing the initiative. It also appeared the WNBA was taking exactly the kind of abuse Thomas says she's received seriously.
Thomas didn't go into too much detail about exactly what people have said to her in the last week, but she shouldn't have to repeat anything she's not comfortable with to prove a point. Player safety is important on and off the court, during a game and when players are scrolling online. The moment between Clark and Thomas was unfortunate, and it raised a lot of questions about both players and teams—but it also raised questions about fans, and how far the WNBA is willing to let people go.
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