Former NBA doctor warns Caitlin Clark over hard WNBA contact
A former Philadelphia 76ers orthopedic consultant warned that escalating caitlin clark physical contact in the WNBA could produce life-threatening injuries, including crushed larynx damage from as little as 10 to 20 pounds of throat pressure. The alarm follows Alyssa Thomas's one-game suspension for fist contact to Clark's neck during a June 24, 2026 game that officials did not call live.
Key Takeaways
- Dr. Nicholas DiNubile told Fox News that repeated blows to Clark's throat, face, and landing space could trigger rapid airway emergencies.
- The WNBA retroactively upgraded Alyssa Thomas's hit to a Flagrant 2 and suspended her one game after Indiana appealed the uncalled play.
- Thomas reported death threats and racist abuse; Fever coach Stephanie White condemned online toxicity targeting Mercury players.
- The Athletic reported the league must confront how hard fouls fuel toxic narratives that extend far beyond the court.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is sidelined with a back injury, and scrutiny of how opponents play her has intensified after the Phoenix Mercury's 111-109 win on June 24. With 6:52 left in the second quarter, Clark fell during a loose-ball scramble and Thomas made contact with her fist to Clark's throat as she tried to stand. Referees swallowed their whistles, and Clark later exited in the third quarter.
What happened between Alyssa Thomas and Caitlin Clark?
Video of the play spread quickly. Fever president Kelly Krauskopf said player safety should be "paramount," and the league reviewed the incident after Indiana's appeal. The WNBA ruled Thomas "recklessly made contact with her fist to the throat area," deemed it a non-basketball act, and issued a Flagrant Foul 2 plus a one-game suspension and $1,000 fine.
Fever coach Stephanie White called the uncalled hit "egregious" and "dangerous." Thomas, a six-time All-Star, said Tuesday she did not realize the contact occurred until after the game- game and described it as a "complete accident." She served the suspension on June 28 against Toronto.
Why is a former NBA doctor sounding the alarm?
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Dr. Nicholas DiNubile said the volume and type of contact Clark absorbs is "concerning" and "troubling." He warned that even without a fractured larynx, swelling or bleeding around the throat can close an airway and create "a very rapid life-or-death situation" that team physicians dread handling on the court.
DiNubile also cited repeated hits to Clark's face and closeouts into her landing space on three-point attempts as dangerous patterns. When asked whether Clark can protect herself, he answered plainly: "I don't think there's anything she can do." He added that officials must provide better protection because players cannot realistically defend against that level of contact.
How has online backlash widened the WNBA's crisis?
Thomas told reporters she received death threats, racial slurs, and threats against her family, with personal addresses leaked online. She criticized commissioner Cathy Engelbert for remaining publicly silent while Mercury players were "being painted as thugs." Engelbert later said the league "vehemently condemns any and all forms of hate" and that security staff contacted Phoenix, according to ESPN.
On July 1, White defended Thomas and blasted what she called "toxicity, racism, homophobia" from online actors she believes are using the league to push divisive agendas rather than supporting women's basketball. Reporting in The Athletic framed the episode as evidence the WNBA must confront a bigger problem when hard fouls turn toxic off the floor.
What could change how the league protects Clark?
The Thomas-Clark sequence unfolded days after a June 22 Mercury-Fever game that produced six technical fouls and an ejection. Clark's fifth technical of the season stood after Indiana's appeal, leaving her three techs from an automatic suspension. That context, combined with missed live calls, has renewed demands for consistent officiating around the league's biggest star.
DiNubile's warning adds medical urgency to a debate already spanning player safety, retroactive discipline, and harassment. As coverage of sports, media, and public-health crossover grows in our Future Tech & AI Wonders section, the central question remains whether the WNBA can stop dangerous contact on the court before the fallout around Clark turns even more destructive.