A Phoenix Mercury coach has issued a bizarre defense of Alyssa Thomas after she came under fire for punching WNBA star Caitlin Clark in the throat during their game.
In a game on Tuesday, Clark was laying on the ground after diving for a loose ball when Mercury star Thomas also lunged to try and gain possession.
As caught on replay, Thomas ended up closing her fist and hit Clark directly in the throat. At the time, officials missed the call due to the speedy nature of the play.
However, one day later, the WNBA announced that Thomas was retroactively assessed a Flagrant Foul 2 and would be suspended for her next game.
As basketball fans quickly lamented the decision to suspend Thomas for just one game, it appears that Mercury players and staff feel the punishment isn’t justified.
On Thursday, Mercury star Natasha Mack took to Threads to write: ‘It’s FREE AT until AT FREE!! standing with my bestie’.
Clark, who wears No. 22, was punched in the throat by Thomas, who received a suspension
Mercury Associate Head Coach Kristi Toliver posted a thinly-veiled dig at Clark afterwards
Her post on the social media platform split opinion among fans, as some praised her for sticking by Thomas, while others called her out over the statement.
‘Standing with your bestie but don’t want to take accountability of her actions,’ one fan wrote on the social media platform.
‘You stand with dirty plays and no accountability? Good to know,’ another wrote.
Meanwhile, over on Instagram, Mercury Associate Head Coach Kristi Toliver posted a thinly-veiled dig at Clark in the wake of the controversy.
Toliver shared a picture of her and Thomas, captioning it: ‘When they go low, we go high – Michelle Obama.’
The quote from the former First Lady of the United States came from a 2016 speech, where she was endorsing Hillary Clinton and denouncing Donald Trump.
Obama, at the time, said: ‘That is what Barack and I think about every day as we try to guide and protect our girls through the challenges of this unusual life in the spotlight.
‘How we insist that the hateful language they hear from public figures on TV does not represent the true spirit of this country.
Toliver, pictured in July 2025, appeared to take a swipe at Clark over the incident
Clark’s coach, Stephanie White said it was ‘egregious’ and ‘disrespectful’ a foul wasn’t called
‘How we explain that when someone is cruel, or acts like a bully, you don’t stoop to their level – no, our motto is, when they go low, we go high.’
Seemingly, Toliver feels as though Thomas is the victim from the ordeal; rather than Clark.
As a result of the incident, Clark suffered another back injury and will miss Saturday’s game against the visiting Los Angeles Sparks, coach Stephanie White announced.
The Fever have a seven-game break after Saturday, but White wouldn’t put any timetable on Clark’s return.
