Showing posts with label WNBA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WNBA. Show all posts
Thursday, 27 August 2026
Monday, 10 August 2026
Wednesday, 15 July 2026
WNBA COMMISSIONER REPORTEDLY HAD TO BE 'PERSUADED' TO SUSPEND ALYSSA THOMAS FOR CAITLIN CLARK INCIDENT
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| 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
Friday, 3 July 2026
Monday, 29 June 2026
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
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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
Tuesday, 12 May 2026
Wednesday, 11 March 2026
Saturday, 11 October 2025
Friday, 10 October 2025
Thursday, 9 October 2025
ACES' A'JA WILSON BREAKS 2 NAPHEESA COLLIER PLAYOFF RECORD DURING DOMINATING GAME 3
A'ja Wilson just made WNBA history, passing Napheesa Collier's playoff records as the Aces move one step closer to another title.
A'ja Wilson made history during the 2025 WNBA Finals, breaking two significant playoff records previously held by Napheesa Collier as the Las Vegas Aces took a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Phoenix Mercury.
In Game 3, Wilson officially surpassed Collier for the most points in a single playoff run and also passed her for the most stocks, according to a post from I Talk Hoops. Collier had set the previous marks during the 2024 postseason with 285 points and 48 stocks.
Through Game 3 of the Finals, Wilson has piled up 291 points and 50 stocks in the 2025 postseason, with both totals still climbing as the Aces close in on the championship.
Aces star's dominant WNBA Finals performance
The records were broken during a Finals run where Wilson has been unstoppable. Through three games, she's averaging 27.7 points and 12.7 rebounds, but it was her Game 3 heroics that stole the show.
With their season on the line at home, the Mercury battled back from a 17-point deficit to tie the game at 88-88. Just 0.3 seconds remained when Wilson received the ball and hit a fadeaway jumper over two defenders to seal the 90-88 victory. Her 34 points and 14 rebounds pushed the Aces to the brink of another championship.
That performance marked Wilson's ninth career 30-point playoff game, extending her own WNBA record. It was her fourth such game in the 2025 postseason alone, also a single-postseason record, according to ESPN's Alexa Philippou. She also became the first player in WNBA Finals history to post back-to-back games with 25+ points and 10+ rebounds.
At 29, Wilson has turned clutch moments into her calling card. The four-time MVP doesn't just dominate statistically; she delivers when the stakes are highest, making her the most dangerous player in postseason basketball. With the Aces one win away from their third title in four years, Wilson's legacy as a championship performer continues to grow.
- Jayesh Pagar
Monday, 6 October 2025
LIZ CAMBAGE | WNBA PLAYERS GOTTA CASH IN OFF COURT Not Gonna Get It From Contracts
Liz Cambage has a message for WNBA players -- if they really wanna make a buck, they're gonna have to find it outside of their salaries ... 'cause she sure as hell didn't buy her mink coat and blinged-out teeth with a game check!!
The former Los Angeles Sparks star turned to OnlyFans after leaving the W ... and it wasn't long before she made more dough on the subscription-based platform than she did on the court.
She reportedly made more than a million bucks in no time. Remember, the supermax in the W is just over $200K -- an obvious reason why she jumped on OF ... and she tells us other players should follow her lead and earn a living in other ways on top of their day jobs.
"I feel like women gotta make more money playing the sport they love," Camabge said at LAX.
"I think everyone has gotta get it how they can ... as I'm standing here in a mink."
She also had advice for the WNBA athletes who are frustrated with their lousy paychecks.
- TMZ Sports
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