Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts said Alyssa Thomas’ hit on Caitlin Clark wasn’t a “cheap shot,” defending the six-time All-Star and criticizing the WNBA’s suspension process as the Mercury head into Saturday’s game without Thomas.
When Alyssa Thomas was kept out on Saturday, it wasn’t just a lineup change—it was the next beat in a dispute that began with a single, physical sequence between the Phoenix Mercury and the Indiana Fever on Wednesday night.
The Mercury will play without Thomas after she received a one-game suspension from the WNBA tied to an incident involving Fever star Caitlin Clark. Phoenix’s head coach. Nate Tibbetts. addressed the ruling ahead of Saturday’s game against the Toronto Tempo. insisting Thomas is “not” the kind of player the league’s language suggests—and arguing that the WNBA’s handling of the case was too shallow.
In Wednesday night’s matchup between the two teams. which the Mercury won 111-109. Thomas landed on Clark. pushed her fist into Clark’s throat. then stepped over her. No foul was called during the play. but the WNBA said in a statement on Thursday that Thomas “recklessly” made contact with Clark and “committed a non-basketball act.”.
Tibbetts defended Thomas immediately, framing the incident as something the league should not treat as cheapness or intent. “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. “To say that we had two cheap shots in that game, to me, is ridiculous. Steph knows AT. she got the opportunity to coach AT for two years. and she knows what AT stands for and what she’s about.”.
The language is familiar to many in the WNBA because Tibbetts and Stephanie White—now the Fever coach—know each other’s history with Thomas. White coached Thomas for two seasons with the Connecticut Sun. They both left the organization ahead of the 2025 season. with White taking the Fever job and Thomas landing in Phoenix via trade.
After the Fever’s loss to the Mercury, White described the incident as a “cheap shot” and later called it “disrespectful” and “crazy.”
Tibbetts’ criticism didn’t stop at calling the process wrong. He said he believed the WNBA did not conduct what he viewed as a thorough investigation, and he questioned whether the league applied its standards consistently.
“This was not a thorough investigation in my opinion,” Tibbetts said. “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.”
He also raised the possibility that Clark’s punishment would look different if the roles were reversed. Tibbetts said he doesn’t want the WNBA’s decisions to be driven by public pressure, including what he framed as social media-driven judgments.
“The goal is to clean up our game. but I do think it’s important not to rely on social media screenshots. This is a slippery slope,” Tibbetts said. “React to situations like this with consistency. Let’s not base it on generational talent, fan base involvement, All-Star level players 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, make this the standard, even if the roles were reversed in this situation.”.
The dispute is also unfolding amid a broader basketball relationship that extends beyond WNBA training camps. Tibbetts and White have been coaching together under Kara Lawson’s Team USA staff for the past several months. including at camps and at the FIBA World Cup qualifying tournament. Both are expected to be on Lawson’s staff when Team USA heads to Germany in September for the World Cup. and both Clark and Thomas could potentially be on that roster too.
For Phoenix, Saturday’s absence comes with extra weight because the Mercury are already working through a challenging stretch. The Mercury are 6-13. They also made the Finals last season, losing to the Las Vegas Aces.
Clark, meanwhile, left Wednesday’s game early with a back issue and the fever star is listed out for Saturday’s contest.
The teams will meet again on July 9 when the Mercury host the Fever in the final regular-season matchup between them.
WNBA Alyssa Thomas Caitlin Clark Stephanie White Phoenix Mercury Indiana Fever Nate Tibbetts suspension Toronto Tempo July 9 Team USA Kara Lawson