Phoenix Mercury delete social media post after win over Indiana Fever. Here’s why

The Phoenix Mercury’s sixth win of the season wasn’t without controversy and a now-deleted social media post fanned the flames.

After the Mercury defeated the Indiana Fever 111-109 in Indianapolis on Wednesday, June 24, the team celebrated the road win with a doodle drawing, part of an ongoing social-media series to mark each victory.

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The Mercury shared a doodle of a stick figure lying on the ground with the words, “De-Wanna piece of this?!?” The stick figure — dressed in DeWanna Bonner‘s No. 24 Mercury jersey, pony tail and her signature white headband — referenced Bonner celebrating her and-one opportunity in the second quarter of Wednesday’s win.

But the social media post promptly received backlash and some called it inappropriate in light of a viral clip of Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas pushing down on the neck of Fever guard Caitlin Clark. The Mercury removed the post to avoid further misinterpretation, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports.

The Mercury’s doodle series dates back to last season and highlights a key player or moment from each win. Following Phoenix’s win over the Seattle Storm on June 20, the team shared a doodle depicting Mercury forward Valeriane Ayayi, who hails from France. It read, “Oui Oui! No Storm.”

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The doodle shared on Wednesday, June 24, references a key moment in the second quarter. Bonner made a layup with 4:49 remaining in the first half to come within one point of the Fever, 44-43. She was fouled on the play by Indiana’s Monique Billings and gave a triumphant roar while lying on her back. Bonner cashed in on the 3-point play at the free-throw line to tie to the game as boos rained down.

Bonner finished with 13 points and eight rebounds in the win, the Mercury and Fever’s second meeting in three days. Thomas recorded a season-high 24 points and eight assists. Kahleah Copper added 28 points. But the Mercury’s win was overshadowed by the viral clip of Thomas and Clark.

The play didn’t result in a foul, which Fever head coach Stephanie White called “egregious.” The league handed Thomas a Flagrant Foul 2, one-game suspension and $1,000 fine the following day for “recklessly making contact with her fist to the throat area of Caitlin Clark.” Clark exited the game early in the third quarter with a back injury after landing on Phoenix’s Valeriane Ayayi on a 3-point attempt, which White described as one of “two cheap shots.”

After the suspension was announced, the Fever released a statement from team president Kelly Krauskopf.

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“Player safety should be paramount in our league. We appreciate the WNBA’s review of last night’s incident and the action taken,” Krauskopf said. “Right now our focus is on Caitlin and our entire team as we prepare for Saturday.”

The Mercury declined to comment on the post to USA TODAY Sports, as did the WNBA.

This is not the first controversial social media post to come out of the two games between Fever and Mercury.

Following the Fever’s 86-77 win over the Mercury on Monday, a contest that featured six technical fouls and one ejection, Indiana used an image of Sophie Cunningham pointing at Bonner during a dust-up in the fourth quarter to promote WNBA All-Star voting. “Who should vote the squad to WNBA All-Star?” the Fever captioned the shot.