Mercury coach rips WNBA's Alyssa Thomas-Caitlin Clark investigation

The Phoenix Mercury have dealt with a firestorm since forward Alyssa Thomas was suspended after a flagrant foul on Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark. 

Thomas retroactively received a Flagrant-2 foul and a one-game suspension for a fist to Clark's throat on June 24.  

A foul was not called for the incident, which then prompted Fever coach Stephanie White to call out the WNBA’s officiating for missing the "cheap shots” on her star player.  

The WNBA suspended Thomas for one game on June 25, and fined her $1,000.  

Before his team's 89-80 win on Saturday, June 27, in Toronto, against the Tempo, Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts read a written statement regarding Thomas’ suspension during his pregame press conference. 

“The Mercury organization would like to let AT know that she’s 100% supported by us," Tibbetts said. "The people in this league know who AT is. She’s a competitor. She’s a winner. She’s tough, but the one thing she is not is cheap.  

“I respect Steph White. I got to know her through USA Basketball. I respect her as a coach and a person, and I understand her sticking up for Caitlin in this situation. But to say that we had two cheap shots in that game to me is ridiculous.” 

Tibbetts added that White coached Thomas on the Connecticut Sun from 2023-24 and she knows “what AT stands for and what she’s about.” 

He was also disappointed in how the league’s office handled the suspension and found it different from his previous NBA experience, where both sides were called. 

“This was not a thorough investigation in my opinion,” Tibbetts said. "The people involved were not questioned at all.

"It’s extremely disappointing. No one from the league called AT, our security team, or myself about what we felt like happened in this situation. There is a protocol to be followed.” 

Tibbetts is part of the referee task force, alongside White, Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve and Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon.  

“The goal is to clean up our game, but I do think it’s important not to rely on social media screenshots,” Tibbetts said. "This is a slippery slope, and let’s watch the whole play and whole game."

Tibbetts wants officiating to be consistent and not based on the status of the players involved. 

“Let’s don’t base it on generational talent, fan base involvement," he said, "All-Star level players or role players. Let’s don’t base it on veterans or young players or White players or Black players or international players.

“If this is the standard, make this the standard, even if the roles were reversed in this situation. Make the storyline the storyline and the suspension the same. And let’s just be consistent.” 

Thomas is among the five players out for the contest at the Toronto Tempo, leaving the team with nine available players. The 34-year-old Thomas can return to play on July 2, when Phoenix hosts Seattle. 

(This story has been updated to add information.)

Reach the reporter or send tips for stories at[email protected], as well as@jennarortiz on X. 

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