C
aitlin Clark has been the talk of the basketball world over the last handful of days following the Indiana Fever’s controversial Wednesday night matchup against the Phoenix Mercury.
Clark left the game with a back injury, while the officiating surrounding her drew heavy scrutiny from fans and media.
The WNBA later suspended Mercury guard Alyssa Thomas for one game after she blatantly shoved her fist into Clark’s throat during the contest. However, officials did not call a foul on the play.
NEW: WNBA player Alyssa Thomas has been suspended after she cheap-shotted Caitlin Clark in the throat.
No foul was called during the game as Thomas was caught on camera jamming her fist into Clark’s throat.
The league has now suspended Thomas for one game and will fine her… pic.twitter.com/dsFXNroz2L
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 25, 2026
Sophie Cunningham Calls Out WNBA
Many have taken issue with the WNBA, but the latest came from Clark’s Fever teammate Sophie Cunningham during the latest episode of her “Show Me Something,” podcast.
“During real time. … I did not see that happen. None of our team saw it happen because I promise you if we would’ve seen that happen, we would’ve had her back,” Cunningham said in regard to Thomas’ play against Clark.
“Unfortunately this type of [explicit] happens every single game to her and the league and the refs do absolutely nothing about it. … You see the videos, of literally kneeing and cheap shotting C in the throat. They are definitely targeting her and the league the refs do nothing to protect her.
Sophie Cunningham Clips for her podcast “Show Me Something” … She’s going scorched earth, I love it! pic.twitter.com/PYMQ3G6uxD
— Kaitlyn 📊🏀 (@zulueditsae) June 27, 2026
Cunningham also addressed the WNBA’s promotional poster to celebrate 30 years, which did not include Clark in the graphic. Yet, it had not only Cunningham, but also players such as Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese.
“It is a joke. And this is why Cathy [Englebert] and the WNBA is getting lit up on social media. Because you’re leaving out a generational, the best player to ever go through the WNBA and honestly if they were smart, they would market the [explicit] out of us.”
Clark’s Injury Status
Clark will miss Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Sparks because of the back injury she suffered Wednesday. As of now, Fever head coach Stephanie White said there is no timetable for her return.
“Yeah, she’s OK. She’s going to be out on Saturday, but she’s doing alright,” White said on Friday. “No indication [on how long she’ll be out]. Obviously, it’s a good time because we have a week off next week, so we’ll take this opportunity to get her treatment, get her healthy, get her back on the floor, and see what happens. It’s the same thing — long-term health and wellness is the most important thing.”
Sophie Cunningham Rips WNBA Over Caitlin Clark Treatment