Former WNBA player-turned ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike has spoken about the physical incident between the Phoenix Mercury's Alyssa Thomas and the Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark on Wednesday, June 24, in the 111-109 Mercury win. She looks to raise questions to the league, but for a different reason.

In the second quarter, with 6:52 left, Clark fell in the paint after contacting with defender Lexie Held. Thomas then pounced on her to grab the ball, pushing her fist through Clark's throat and stepping over her while she stood back up.

Ogwumike spoke about the incident between the two players on ESPN's Sunday show according to post by espnW on X.

"I think that largely happened because of the optics. Watching the play live, in real time, I didn't think much of it because players hit the floor all the time. But once narratives started forming around a freeze-frame image, that changed everything. I do think the league was reacting to the optics of that image."

Ogwumike said the WNBA made a decision based on a freeze frame, although the real-time play didn't seem that serious, as both players stood up and went back to play.

The WNBA conducted a post-game review of the viral clip and gave Thomas a one-game suspension along with a Flagrant Foul 2 penalty of $1,000, terming Thomas' actions a "non-basketball act." Thomas served her suspension on June 27 and was not available against the Toronto Tempo.

Although the league took action against Thomas, Clark, on the other hand, had a pretty uncomfortable game and also exited midway.

Caitlin Clark Back Injury Came Back To Haunt Her

After the viral play between Thomas and Clark, Clark made a three-point attempt while been guarded by Phoenix's defender Valeriane Ayayi who didn't leave any space for Clark to land. Clark landed on Ayayi's foot instead, and held her back immediately after the incident.

Clark then left the game with 5:15 left in the third quarter. According to ESPN,coach Stephanie White then later revealed about the two-time All-Star's back injury and her absence in the game against the Los Angeles Sparks, which Indiana won 111-87.

Clark has exited the season opener against the Dallas Wings on May 9, with the Fever losing 107-104. She also missed the game against the Portland Fire on May 20, with Indiana winning 90-73.

White said to get Clark treated during this long week off, with the next game against the Las Vegas Aces happening on July 5. Before the recurring back injury, Clark was averaging 21.2 points, 8.2 assists, and four rebounds per game.

The game against the Vegas would be a high-stakes game for the Fever, as the Vegas have a tremendous record of 14-5, with their superstar A'ja Wilson in form, averaging the most points in the league at 25.7, along with 9.4 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1.6 steals per game.

What are your thoughts on this? let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Dhruv Singh

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi