The WNBA's decision to suspend Alyssa Thomas for one game isn't sitting well with the Phoenix Mercury.
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Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts criticized the league after Thomas was suspended following an on-court incident involving Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark during Wednesday's game.
The play wasn't called a foul in real time, but after reviewing the video, the WNBA upgraded it to a Flagrant 2 and suspended Thomas for "recklessly making contact with her fist to the throat area" of Clark.
Thomas served the suspension during Phoenix's game against the Toronto Tempo on Saturday.
Tibbetts questioned both the process and the outcome.
"I'd like to hit on my disappointment in the suspension process by our league and our leaders in the W," Tibbetts said, according to ESPN. "This was not a thorough investigation in my opinion."
Caitlin Clark continues to get beat up with no help from WNBA refs pic.twitter.com/0NAy1dFGFZ
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) June 25, 2026
The Mercury coach also said neither he nor Thomas was contacted by the league before the discipline was announced.
"The people in this league know who AT is," Tibbetts said. "She's a competitor, she's a winner, and she's tough. The one thing she is not is cheap."
Mercury guard Kahleah Copper echoed those frustrations, saying she wished the situation had been handled more professionally and that someone from the league had reached out to Thomas directly.
The play has generated plenty of discussion across the WNBA.
Following Wednesday's game, Fever coach Stephanie White criticized officials for not calling a foul during the play, calling the missed call "absolutely unacceptable."
Clark's teammate, Sophie Cunningham, also weighed in, saying on her podcast that Clark has routinely been the target of overly physical play and that officials have not done enough to protect the league's biggest star.
