Prior to the Phoenix Mercury playing without forward Alyssa Thomas due to her one-game suspension, Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts expressed his frustration with the WNBA’s investigation.
Thomas was given a Flagrant 2 foul by the league after an investigation into her having a closed fist on Caitlin Clark’s throat in the aftermath of a loose-ball scramble. Clark later left the game due to a back injury and did not return, and she also is out for the Indiana Fever game Saturday against the Los Angeles Sparks.
The WNBA said that Thomas was “recklessly making contact with her first to the throat area of Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark.”
However, speaking with reporters in Toronto pregame Saturday, Tibbetts said it “was not a thorough investigation.”
“First off, the Mercury organization would like AT to know that she’s 100% supported by us. The people in this league know who AT is. She’s a competitor, she’s a winner and she’s tough. The one thing she is not is cheap,” Tibbetts said in a prepared statement.
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“I respect (Fever coach) Steph White,” he continued. “I got to know her with USA Basketball. I respect her as a coach and a person, and I understand her sticking up for Caitlin in this situation.”
Before practice Friday, White spoke to reporters about the WNBA’s ruling and the situation, saying that she was “thankful” for the investigation and punishment. However, she lamented officiating and that officials didn’t see it in real time. She later said, “we’ve got to be better,” with officiating.
Following the Mercury’s 111-109 win in Indianapolis on Wednesday, White blasted officials calling the Thomas non-call and a landing space area in the second quarter “cheap shots,” which Tibbetts took issue with.
“But to say that we had two cheap shots in that game, to me, is ridiculous,” Tibbetts said Saturday.
Tibbetts, who was an assistant in the NBA from 2011 to 2023 before taking the Mercury job in 2024, pointed to the NBA for his stance on how investigations by the league should occur.
“Next, I’d like to hit my disappointment with the suspension process by our league and our leaders in the W,” he said. “This was not a thorough investigation in my opinion. The people involved were not questioned at all. It’s extremely disappointing no one from the league called AT, our security team or myself about what we felt like happened in this situation. There is a protocol to be followed. Just coming from the NBA, there was many investigations that I’ve heard about that there was calls on both sides, and that was not done in this situation and that’s disappointing.”
Tibbetts and White were assistants with USA Basketball in Puerto Rico on coach Kara Lawson’s staff. They also serve together on the WNBA’s referee task force, along with Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve and Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon.
“I agree with everyone’s stance: Let’s continue to clean up our game. I’m part of the referee task force, the same that Steph White is, Cheryl Reeve and Becky Hammond,” Tibbetts said. “The goal is to cleanup our game, but I do think it’s important not to lie on social media screenshots. This is a slippery slope. Let’s watch the whole play, the whole game. We’ve got more people on our eyes, it’s a great league.
“I hope that we can all agree that consistency is the main thing in how we call these games. React to situations like this with consistency. Let’s don’t base it on generational talent, fanbase involvement, All-Star or role players, let’s don’t base it off veterans or young players, or white players or Black players or international players. If this is the standard, even if the roles were reversed in this situation, make the storyline the storyline, and the suspension the same. And let’s just be consistent.”
Phoenix Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts statement on Alyssa Thomas suspension for hitting Caitlin Clark
“First off, the Mercury organization would like AT to know that she’s 100% supported by us. The people in this league know who AT is. She’s a competitor, she’s a winner and she’s tough. The one thing she is not is cheap.
“I respect (Fever coach) Steph White. I got to know her with USA Basketball. I respect her as a coach and a person, and I understand her sticking up for Caitlin in this situation.
“But to say that we had two cheap shots in that game, to me, is ridiculous. …
“Next, I’d like to hit my disappointment with the suspension process by our league and our leaders in the W. This was not a thorough investigation in my opinion. The people involved were not questioned at all. It’s extremely disappointing no one from the league called AT, our security team or myself about what we felt like happened in this situation. There is a protocol to be followed. Just coming from the NBA, there was many investigations that I’ve heard about that there was calls on both sides, and that was not done in this situation and that’s disappointing.
“I agree with everyone’s stance: Let’s continue to clean up our game. I’m part of the referee task force, the same that Steph White is, (Minnesota Lynx coach) Cheryl Reeve and (Las Vegas Aces coach) Becky Hammond. The goal is to cleanup our game, but I do think it’s important not to lie on social media screenshots. This is a slippery slope. Let’s watch the whole play, the whole game. We’ve got more people on our eyes, it’s a great league.
“I hope that we can all agree that consistency is the main thing in how we call these games. React to situations like this with consistency. Let’s don’t base it on generational talent, fanbase involvement, All-Star or role players, let’s don’t base it off veterans or young players, or white players or Black players or international players. If this is the standard, even if the roles were reversed in this situation, make the storyline the storyline, and the suspension the same. And let’s just be consistent.”
Aaron Ferguson is a sports editor at IndyStar. Follow him on Twitter at @sports_aaron. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Mercury coach defends Alyssa Thomas, calls out WNBA investigation after Caitlin Clark incident
Reporting by Aaron Ferguson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Aaron Ferguson, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
