{"id":768158,"date":"2026-06-29T04:49:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T04:49:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/768158\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T04:49:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T04:49:48","slug":"what-did-chiney-ogwumike-say-about-alyssa-thomas-suspension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/768158\/","title":{"rendered":"What Did Chiney Ogwumike Say About Alyssa Thomas Suspension?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images \/ USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

Chiney Ogwumike weighs in in Alyssa Thomas’s WNBA suspension.<\/p>\n

The WNBA handed down a suspension to Phoenix Mercury star Alyssa Thomas\u00a0following an incident involving Caitlin Clark. She spent her most recent game on the sidelines.<\/p>\n

Former pro Chiney Ogwumike<\/a> was not a fan of that punishment. She believes the league caved to online backlash.<\/p>\n

Last Wednesday, Phoenix faced the Fever<\/a> in Indiana. During the second quarter of action, Clark fell down while dribbling towards the basket.<\/p>\n

During a scrum, defender Alyssa Thomas\u2019s fist slid into Clark\u2019s neck<\/a>. Some believe it was intentional. Others viewed it as incidental. Regardless, a foul was warranted.<\/p>\n

Alyssa Thomas with the fist to Caitlin Clark\u2019s throat. Play on, of course. pic.twitter.com\/EdcOY6zgKc<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Heavens! (@HeavensFX) June 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

No whistle was blown. It triggered a massive reaction.<\/p>\n

Fever coach Stephanie White called the no-call \u201cabsolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful.\u201d Teammate Sophie Cunningham blasted the WNBA<\/a>\u00a0for not protecting Clark during a recent podcast segment.<\/p>\n

Fans on social media demanded punishment. They got their wish over the weekend<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Alyssa Thomas was given a one-game suspension.<\/p>\n

Phoenix Mercury\u2019s Alyssa Thomas Receives Flagrant Foul 2 Penalty and a One-Game Suspension pic.twitter.com\/VnDF8M3SXQ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 WNBA Communications (@WNBAComms) June 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

She was not on the court when the Mercury<\/a> faced Toronto Saturday night. The league retroactively assessed a Flagrant Foul 2 Penalty, citing \u201creckless\u201d contact to the throat as reasoning.<\/p>\n

According to WNBA<\/a> rule, the league office can upgrade fouls or assess a Flagrant to no-calls after a review of the tape. It exercised that ability with Thomas.<\/p>\n

Her history may have had something to do with it. She is known as being a blue-collar player. Her physicality <\/a>led to the injury of Napheesa Collier in last year\u2019s playoffs.<\/p>\n

Chiney Ogwumike believes there was another factor at play. She suggests the league made the decision to appease an angry mob.<\/p>\n

Chiney Ogwumike took issue with punishment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen narratives are created based off of a freeze-frame, that can create a huge problem. The league was reacting to the optics of that image.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014@chiney<\/a> on the contact between Alyssa Thomas and Caitlin Clark that resulted in Thomas\u2019 suspension. pic.twitter.com\/jhmv9GzknP<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 espnW (@espnW) June 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Ogwumike did not speak on whether or not the contact was intentional or incidental. She did not comment on whether a foul should\u2019ve been called, though she did place blame on officiating.<\/p>\n

She noted that both players moved on after the play with little issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlyssa plays on the edge\u2026 Caitlin embellishes at time,\u201d Ogwumike said. \u201cThis created a situation where the league is forced to be reactive\u2026 It\u2019s doing something that it rarely does on a non-call.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat largely happened because of the optics. In game flow, I didn\u2019t really notice much. People hit the ground all the time. When narratives are created based off of a freeze frame, that can create a huge problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe league was reacting to the optics of that image. Both players, who are known to make their issues known, got up and kept going. That\u2019s why I have a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

In some ways, she has a point. Freeze frames and slow motion don\u2019t always tell the full story. Narratives can be spun by a photo without context.<\/p>\n

In this situation, though, the picture does showed exactly what happened. A foul was warranted, and the league assessed it.<\/p>\n

Alyssa Thomas<\/a> created the poor optics by putting her hand on Clark\u2019s throat. She was given a suspension as a result, which is fully within the WNBA\u2019s authority.<\/p>\n

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