WNBA COMMISSIONER REPORTEDLY HAD TO BE 'PERSUADED' TO SUSPEND ALYSSA THOMAS FOR CAITLIN CLARK INCIDENT

Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) scrambles to get up over Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, during a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Phoenix Mercury defeated the Indiana Fever, 111-109.

Last month, the WNBA made a rather high-profile decision to suspend Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas for pushing on the neck of Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark during a game. However, according to a new report, the league’s commissioner had to be persuaded to do so.

While the incident and the subsequent suspension became one of the biggest talking points in sports over the past several weeks, it sounds like WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert was not originally planning to suspend Thomas for the incident until NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stepped in.

Thomas Suspended

The incident in question occurred during the June 24 showdown between the Fever and the Mercury. Both Clark and Thomas fell to the floor. While getting up, Thomas pushed onto Clark’s neck in what she has since described as a “complete accident.”

While Thomas was not even assessed a common foul during the game, the league later suspended her for one game with a $1,000 fine.

Following her suspension, Thomas expressed her frustration about the lack of communication from the league, claiming that she didn’t even know about the suspension until about 10 minutes before the news hit social media. She also specifically called out Engelbert for her silence on the matter while she was receiving death threats from fans.

“We still have yet to hear anything from Cathy [Engelbert],” Thomas said. “It’s no surprise. You could see what’s being said on social media. Yeah, it’s unfortunate, but as usual, she remains silent. That’s unfortunate when our lives our being threatened.”

Engelbert did eventually make a statement saying that the league “vehemently condemns any and all forms of hate,” but it came after Thomas’ comments criticizing her.

Clark agreed with the league’s decision to retroactively declare the foul a flagrant foul, but she also condemned the hate that Thomas was receiving on social media.

Engelbert Had to Be Persuaded

While the league’s execution, messaging, and response to Thomas’ suspension was messy at best, it sounds like there could be a reason why: Engelbert was reportedly never planning to suspend Thomas in the first place.

According to a report from the Sports Business Journal, which cited multiple anonymous sources, Engelbert was not planning to suspend Thomas until NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stepped in and persuaded her to do so.

“WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert was not planning to suspend Alyssa Thomas for burying a fist into Caitlin Clark’s throat three weeks ago until NBA Commissioner Adam Silver implored her to reverse course and issue the discipline, multiple sources told SBJ Tuesday,” Tom Friend wrote for SBJ.

It’s worth noting that a WNBA spokesperson told the outlet on Wednesday it was “absolutely false’’ that Engelbert did not originally plan to suspend Thomas, but SBJ stands by its reporting.

- Dave Kelsey

FORMER WNBA STAR SLAMS LEAGUE OVER PUNISHMENT OF CAITLIN CLARK NEMESIS AS PUNCH CONTROVERSY RUMBLES ON

 

Former WNBA player and ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike believes the league caved to online pressure to punish Alyssa Thomas for an incident involving Caitlin Clark on what she believes was a routine play.

Last week, Thomas and Clark dove for a loose ball on the floor where slow motion replays appeared to show the former hitting the Indiana Fever star in the throat with a closed fist. At the time, no foul was called due to the quick nature of the incident.

Internet reaction trended toward outrage as Fever fans and right-wing media viewed this as yet another example of the league failing to protect Clark. Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White called the no-call 'absolutely egregious' and 'utterly disrespectful.'

One day later, the league retroactively assessed a flagrant II foul on Thomas and suspended her for a game. Thomas missed a game against the Toronto Tempo on Saturday night.

While Thomas does have a history of playing tough, Ogwumike believes that the angry mob on social media tipped the scales leading to her suspension and that the two players involved moved on after the play.

'To me, overall, officiating has been a universal issue this year. And that's not the goal of any league, but this is the reality,' Ogwumike said on an episode of WNBA Countdown.

"When narratives are created based off of a freeze-frame, that can create a huge problem. The league was reacting to the optics of that image."

—@chiney on the contact between Alyssa Thomas and Caitlin Clark that resulted in Thomas' suspension. pic.twitter.com/jhmv9GzknP

— espnW (@espnW) June 28, 2026

WNBA analyst Chiney Ogwumike believes the league suspended Alyssa Thomas as a result of caving to public pressure after slow-motion footage of her incident with Caitlin Clark surfaced

Thomas and Clark both dove for a loose ball, leading to Thomas hitting Clark in the throat
Ogwumike said her heart was breaking over the vitriol Thomas is getting from the incident

Ogwumike said her heart was breaking over the vitriol Thomas is getting from the incident

The former WNBA Rookie of the Year added, 'You're seeing that there's an imperative to call more fouls, but there's still a lack of situational awareness or a lack of control of the game by the refs... You can see one game where one is super physical and one where people are dropping 50. There's been a lack of consistency and this creates a problem in magnifier matchups.

'And this is a magnifier matchup when you look back at it. Alyssa Thomas, Caitlin Clark, both dominant players, but Alyssa plays on the edge. I know her. And Caitlin sometimes embellishes at times in certain instances. 

'So when you have a scrum, like you said, there needs to be a hypervigilance. But also this created a position where the league is now forced to be reactive. And instead of having control of not just calling fouls, now the league is reacting and doing something that it rarely does on a non-call and instituting a suspension. And to me, that was unique.'

Ogwumike believes this happened 'because of the optics,' adding, 'I was watching game speed, I didn't really notice too much because people hit the ground all the time.

'But when narratives are created based off of a freeze frame, that can create a huge problem. And I do think that's the league reacting to the optics of that image.'

'If you're watching it in real time, both players - who are known to make their issues known - got up and kept going. That was my thing. And so that's why I have a problem.'

Ogwumike added that the backlash to Thomas 'breaks my heart' because of the 'heightened level of vitriol' that she is facing.

'If the league could really handle this better in real time and figuring out how— we want more points, we want more fouls, but how do we keep an eye on these specific matchups so we can avoid the narratives getting out of our control?' Ogwumike asked.

- JAKE FENNER

WNBA PLAYER RANKINGS

 

US BASKETBALL NAMES 12-MEMBER. WOMEN'S ROSTER FOR PARIS

Reuters 

 USA Basketball announced a veteran roster for the upcoming Paris Olympics, boasting a squad where each member has at least an Olympics or World Cup gold medal.

The Phoenix Mercury's Diana Taurasi was named to her sixth Olympics, with 38 Olympics basketball games to her credit, the most of any women's player in USA Basketball history. She is second in Olympics points scored (414) behind Lisa Leslie (488).

The team, which consists entirely of players from the WNBA, also includes Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Kahleah Copper (Mercury), Chelsea Gray (Las Vegas Aces), Brittney Griner (Mercury), Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty), Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm), Kelsey Plum (Aces), Breanna Stewart (Liberty), Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut Sun), A'ja Wilson (Aces) and Jackie Young (Aces).

Cheryl Reeve is the head coach of the team, after serving as an assistant coach the past two Olympics under Geno Auriemma (2016) and Dawn Staley (2020).

"We were supposed to be giving Cheryl a team that has experience and familiarity with international competition, familiarity with the coaching system, leadership abilities, versatility, depth at every position," national team committee chair Jen Rizzotti told The Athletic. "The 12 that we selected, we felt were the best when it boiled down to a basketball decision."

Not included was collegiate star Caitlin Clark, who took Iowa to the Final Four in consecutive seasons and is in her rookie WNBA season with the Indiana Fever.

"Certainly, the success that Caitlin had in college in addition to the way that she's played in the beginning parts of the (WNBA) season was taken into consideration as we talked about this roster, but I think out of respect for the process, we tried to make sure we upheld our integrity when it came to selecting the roster," Rizzotti told The Athletic.

"Marketability, popularity, TV viewership, jersey sales was not something that we were supposed to be measuring."

Clark addressed the pending roster decision Sunday.

"Honestly, no disappointment," Clark said. "It just gives me something to work for; it's a dream. Hopefully one day I can be there.

"I think it's just a little more motivation. You remember that. Hopefully when four years comes back around, I can be there."

Taurasi, Collier, Gray, Griner, Loyd, Stewart and Wilson all were in the 2020 Olympics squad in Japan that went 6-0 while winning the gold medal. Wilson and Griner each scored 16.5 points per game in Japan, while Stewart had 10.0 rebounds per game.

Plum and Young also won a gold medal at Japan, but that was in the inaugural three-on-three tournament.

Staley also was on the committee that selected the roster, in addition to the WNBA's Bethany Donaphin, Atlanta Dream general manager Dan Padover of the Atlanta Dream, LSU assistant coach Seimone Augustus and Old Dominion head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones.

The USA women's team will have training camp at Phoenix then play an exhibition game against a team of WNBA all-stars on July 20. The squad also is set to play an exhibition game against Germany on July 23 at London.

Team USA opens Olympics group play at Paris against Japan on July 29 before facing Belgium on Aug. 1 and Germany on Aug. 4.

- Reuters