Alyssa Thomas Speaks Out After Caitlin Clark Incident: Says WNBA Left Her Alone With Death Threats
Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas is furious with the WNBA.
Thomas called out both the league and commissioner Cathy Engelbert this week over what she described as a total lack of support in the aftermath of a June 24 incident with Caitlin Clark. Thomas received a one-game suspension for making contact with Clark’s throat area during a loose-ball scramble. The Mercury won the game 111-109, but the discussion since has been about everything except basketball.
Thomas said she and her teammates have been dealing with online abuse and death threats since the suspension came down. She said the league has not been in real communication with her about safety measures, protection, or any form of institutional response. Her words were pointed, and they carry weight coming from one of the most respected veterans in the league.
“Now we’re being painted as thugs and there’s death threats out on us,” Thomas said. “It’s really unacceptable.”
Engelbert issued a public statement Tuesday condemning “hate” directed at Thomas. The statement, however, came only after Thomas publicly criticized the league for staying silent. That timing has not gone unnoticed by players, media, or fans watching this situation unfold.
The Clark-Thomas storyline is now the most complicated ongoing narrative in the WNBA. Clark is the biggest star the league has had in decades. Her rookie season generated unprecedented interest and revenue for the sport. But it has also created a fan base that reacts to any physical contact with her the way a soccer stadium reacts to a bad referee call.
Alyssa Thomas is not the first veteran to receive threats after a physical play involving Clark. She will not be the last unless the WNBA figures out how to manage the environment around its biggest star.
Clark herself has consistently taken the high road on these situations. She has said publicly that physical basketball is part of the game, and she has not encouraged the hostility that follows her opponents online. That is more than most 24-year-olds handle with any grace.
The bigger problem is a league that has grown faster than its structure can support. The WNBA does not have the infrastructure of the NBA in terms of player relations, media relations, or crisis management. Engelbert has led the league through explosive growth, but the challenges of that growth are exposing weaknesses in how the front office handles player safety.
Former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho added fuel to the fire this week by arguing on air that the WNBA would be better off without Clark. His comments produced instant backlash and lengthy responses from players, analysts, and fans. It was one more piece of noise in what has become an unmanageable narrative around one player and her impact.
What Thomas wants is straightforward. She wants the league to communicate. She wants official statements to be timely, not reactionary. She wants players to feel like the WNBA has their back when the online world turns on them.
Whether Engelbert can deliver on that is the question. The WNBA is in a period of unprecedented growth and unprecedented pressure. Managing both at once is what commissioners are paid to do. Alyssa Thomas thinks she has not received that management. Based on the delay in the league’s response, she has a point.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
