Caitlin Clark’s teammate has fanned the flames of WNBA controversy as she addressed the Indiana Fever superstar’s shocking punching incident.
The WNBA found itself at the center of controversy yet again last month after Clark – arguably the face of the WNBA – was punched in the throat by Phoenix Mercury rival Alyssa Thomas.
The Fever guard was driving to the hoop when she fell to the ground in the paint while under pressure from a number of Mercury defenders.
Three rival players were battling to strip the ball away from Clark and succeeded in doing so. But, while Clark was down on the floor, Thomas charged in and put her closed fist into the Fever superstar’s neck.
Now, Fever star Aliyah Boston has hit out at Thomas as she questioned the aggressive move on her podcast with WNBA legend Candace Parker.
‘That should’ve never been done,’ the former No 1 overall pick said on the Post Moves Show. ‘You don’t put your hand on someone’s throat and damn-near kick them on the floor. It’s a basketball game. What are we doing?’
Indiana Fever star Aliyah Boston addressed Caitlin Clark’s shocking punching incident
Fever star Clark was punched in the throat by Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas
Parker, a three-time WNBA champion, referenced her own experience as a targeted superstar in the league as she echoed Boston’s outrage.
‘I’ve been on the side of some players’ rough play,’ she said. ‘So, if there’s anybody that can probably speak about this and being roughed up and disrespected, it’s me. But in terms of taking it farther than that, it’s like, what are we doing?’
The reaction to Thomas’ punch on Clark has sparked a firestorm directed at the player, officials and the league for what some believe is a routine failure to protect the Indiana Fever star.
In the days that followed, Thomas said she was racially abused online and received threats toward herself and her family – including her children.
Clark spoke for five minutes to media in Indianapolis last Friday – which were her first public comments since the incident took place on June 24.
‘As I’ve stood up here and said before, like the harassment, the hate, none of that is okay. That goes for the opposing team we play, that goes for my teammates, that goes for my coaches, there should never be a question of character,’ Clark told reporters.
‘I’ve always stood up here and said that, and that’s truly what I believe. That’s how I was raised. So none of that is okay and I don’t want anybody to ever experience that.’
Clark also believes that the media’s focus on the incident nine days after it happened is not helping the situation and isn’t helping the league.
‘It’s really interesting to me because, I turned the TV on on Sunday, and that game was on Wednesday, and that’s all people are still talking about,’ Clark recalled. ‘And I feel like that’s just a real disservice to our league.
Thomas says she’s been the victim of racial abuse and threats to her family after the incident
Clark condemned the abuse of Thomas as she addressed the incident for the first time
‘And I get it, you talk about it, you talk about whether it’s flagrant, you talk about whatever it is.
‘But to continue to beat down, beat down, and then for the narrative to be taken other places, that’s just really not acceptable. I think it’s just— it’s hard to see, you know.’
Clark said that the constant conversation about it made her feel ‘bad for the players that were playing the games those days. And also, I feel bad for my teammates.
‘They played on Friday and they dominated and they played really well and nobody wanted to talk about that. They were just worried about everything else.’
She added, ‘I think it’s all of our jobs to help refocus the narratives a lot of the times and we can do better at that. And I think it’ll help our game grow a lot more.’
