Lisa Leslie says WNBA officials ‘got to do better’ after Alyssa Thomas shoved fist into Caitlin Clark’s throat
Phoenix Mercury player Alyssa Thomas keeps shoving her fist down Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark’s throat, and now one of the league’s best players, Lisa Leslie, is giving her two cents.
Leslie was on CBS Sports’ “We Need to Talk” When the issue of referee consistency came up following a statement from Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts.
He started by stating that refereeing is often a difficult and thankless job, but a referee should have caught the incident between Thomas and Clark during the match.
CAITLIN CLARK FALLED FROM HER NECK DURING THE FEVER MATCH WITH NO ANOTHER FOUL ON STAR.
“In this particular case, I thought the last official should have been able to catch this,” he said. “I was actually watching this game and I was like, ‘Oh wow, that was a bit much.'”
That’s a fair point. If he had been able to see the incident as a bystander, one of the officials probably would have noticed this as well.
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Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas attempts to tackle Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark during a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on June 24, 2026. Phoenix Mercury defeated Indiana Fever 111-109. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
He said he wasn’t surprised by the outcome of Thomas’ suspension, but it was “difficult” for officials to miss the call at that moment and not watch the replay.
“I think the league in general needs to do better, the officials need to do better, but at the same time the players need to clean it up,” he said. “We would play to protect each other. Yeah, I want to play physical, I want to play hard, but I didn’t come here to hurt you.”
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WNBA great Lisa Leslie talked about how the league, officials and even players need to do better after an incident between Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas and Indiana’s Caitlin Clark. ((Photo: Melina Pizano/Getty Images))
Leslie also suggested that if Thomas had reacted differently after the incident and apologized to Clark, he perhaps would have faced a lighter sentence.
“That’s not what happened, so I think the league did it right, but overall I think Coach Tibbetts was right. Consistency is important. That needs to be cleaned up for all players, regardless of their praise,” Leslie said.
