While Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White was pretty upset at Alyssa Thomas over her actions towards her star Caitlin Clark on the court last week, she's found herself even more upset with the backlash from fans.
Speaking to the media this week, White addressed the abuse that Thomas has received. She said that the level of abuse she's receiving is unacceptable and likely isn't coming from true fans of the Indiana Fever or the WNBA as a whole.
“I just want to address, you know, what’s going on with AT,” White said. “You know, I think as a league, as a whole, there’s been so much more toxicity, racism, homophobia, straight-out nonsense, and it is absolutely unacceptable. Most of this coming from the online community. Most of this, you know, in my heart of hearts, I believe not coming from WNBA fans, Indiana Fever fans. You know, I believe that this is people who are using our league, using our players to further divisive agendas. It’s not acceptable. Yes, we have to continue to protect our players.
“We’ve got to continue to support our players and our league. We get to play a basketball game. And AT was exactly right. Like, we get to play a basketball game. And yes, that’s going to come with criticism. Yes, that’s going to come with fans and the love-hate relationship that they have with players and teams. That is going to come. But it’s not hard to not be a jerk. And if you are one of these people that are online doing this, do not call yourself a WNBA fan.”
The Incident
The WNBA suspended Alyssa Thomas for one game after reviewing an incident from the game between the Phoenix Mercury and the Indiana Fever. The league upgraded the play to a Flagrant Foul 2, ruling that Thomas had "recklessly made contact with her fist to the throat area" of Caitlin Clark during a loose-ball scramble in the second quarter.
No foul was called during the game, but the WNBA exercised its authority to review the play after the fact and imposed the suspension, which she has already served.
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The incident sparked widespread debate because it came during an already physical stretch of games involving the Fever and because Fever head coach Stephanie White sharply criticized the officiating, calling the no-call "egregious" and "utterly disrespectful."
The suspension fueled further discussion about player safety, the league's handling of physical play involving Clark, and whether officials should have ejected Thomas during the game itself. Reaction to the punishment was mixed, with some observers arguing a one-game suspension was appropriate under league rules, while others believed the penalty was either too lenient or too harsh given the circumstances.
