Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas is getting a lot of criticism after her hard foul on Caitlin Clark and contact on the Indiana Fever star’s throat.
Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts, however, publicly stood by his player before Saturday’s contest. But Clark’s teammate Sophie Cunningham doesn’t agree with Tibbetts.
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Sophie Cunningham Urges Officials to Do Better to Protect Caitlin Clark
Cunningham shared her take on the latest episode of her podcast, “Show Me Something.”
She admitted the contact had slipped right past the team during the game. Cunningham explained the team would have stepped in immediately had anyone spotted it during the play.
“During real time last night, I did not see that happen,” Cunningham said.
“None of our teams saw it happen. Because I promise you that if we would have seen that happen, we would have had her back. Unfortunately, this type of ‘[expletive]’ happens every single game to her. And the league and the refs do absolutely nothing about it.”
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The incident occurred during Indiana’s 111-109 loss to Phoenix on Wednesday when All-Star forward Thomas dove to the floor in a bid during a scramble for the ball. After the play ended, she pressed her closed fist directly down onto Clark’s neck.
Officials never flagged the contact, much to the Fever camp’s frustration.
This is not the first time Thomas has received criticism over a physical play targeting the neck. During Angel Reese’s rookie season, she grabbed the former LSU standout by the neck and threw her to the ground. That play also drew a Flagrant Foul 2 and resulted in an ejection.
Cunningham’s criticism did not stop at that single play and pointed to a broader pattern, arguing that Clark has been repeatedly targeted with little protection from the league or its officials.
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“You see the videos of, like, literally kneeing and… cheap-shotting C in the throat,” Cunningham continued. “Like if she did that to any of our teammates, we’d be pissed, but they’re definitely targeting her, and the league and the refs do nothing to protect her.”
The WNBA, however, acted the following day, upgrading the play to a Flagrant Foul 2, citing reckless contact and calling it a “non-basketball act.”
Thomas missed Saturday’s matchup against the Toronto Tempo as a result and was also fined $1,000.
As the criticism mounted, WNBA legend Lisa Leslie also entered the conversation.
“I think, overall, the league has got to do better, the officials have got to do better, but also players-players have to clean it up,” she said on CBS Sports’ “We Need To Talk.”
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“We used to play in a way that we protected one another. Yeah, I want to play physical, I want to play hard, but I’m not here to hurt you.”
MORE: ‘The WNBA’s Biggest Problem’ — How the Caitlin Clark Discourse Highlights the League’s Massive Issue
Leslie also suggested Thomas might have faced a lighter punishment had she simply apologized to Clark following the play.
The Fever, meanwhile, is hoping the pattern shifts soon. Clark consistently draws hard contact, and missed calls seem to follow her around the floor far too often.
At 24 years old, Clark has already navigated injury trouble during her early WNBA career. Indiana knows it needs her healthy and on the floor if it wants a legitimate shot at a postseason run.
