Since Caitlin Clark (pictured right) became a member of the Indiana Fever in 2024, the WNBA has made it clear that the number one overall pick in the 2024 draft is on her own; the league has failed to protect Clark as she has dealt with multiple, unprovoked run-ins with other players on and off the court.
Clark has been involved in several high-profile controversies, including hard fouls by opponents such as Chennedy Carter, physical matchups with Angel Reese, and ongoing debates over whether she has been unfairly targeted or simply experiencing the normal physicality of professional basketball.
In the most recent incident involving Phoenix Mercury's forward, no foul was called when Alyssa Thomas drove her fist into Clark's throat while multiple players fought for the ball.
After the fact, the WNBA announced that Thomas was punished for "recklessly making contact with her fist to the throat area" of Clark. She received a Flagrant Foul 2 penalty and a one-game suspension.
Thomas, who says the play was a "complete accident," has criticized WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert for not doing more to protect the league's players, as she herself has reportedly received death threats and been called racial slurs in the aftermath of last week's matchup.
Clark's teammate, Sophie Cunningham, insists other players are "targeting" Clark. She discussed this and the WNBA's 30th anniversary poster—which (pictured above) does not include Clark—in a recent episode of her podcast.
"It is a joke," Cunningham said. "This is why Cathy (Engelbert) and the WNBA are getting lit up on social media. You are leaving out a generational, the best player to ever go through WNBA, on this roster."
Tom Joyce of the NewBostonPost says the league has a jealousy problem.
"You see a lot of these women trying to tear other women down as opposed to trying to lift each other up and capitalize on the new viewership and try to grow their game," he laments. "They're going in the opposite direction when they do stuff like that, and it's really not good for them."
Engelbert released a statement Tuesday night saying, "The WNBA vehemently condemns any and all forms of hate."
She calls what Thomas and her teammates have experienced "completely unacceptable and not representative of the WNBA community."
"The safety and well-being of everyone in our community is always the league's top priority," the statement reads. "The league and our security team have been in contact with the Phoenix Mercury organization and remain committed to protecting all players."
The WNBA has never issued a statement condemning the general physical treatment of Caitlin Clark.
