Caitlin Clark's treatment in the WNBA faces fresh scrutiny after delayed WNBA response

A recent foul against WNBA star Caitlin Clark during a recent Indiana Fever v. Phoenix Mercury game fueled discussion about her treatment within the league.

A point guard for the Indiana Fever praised by legendary athletes like LeBron James, Clark has been credited with increased global viewership and interest in women’s basketball. She has also been subject to unusual amounts of physical aggression on the court, including flagrant fouls—the most severe category of foul.

The WNBA has an infinitesimal likelihood for players to receive a flagrant foul in a typical season. Clark, now in her third WNBA season, has been the target of 9 flagrant fouls, leading some to speculate that she is being unfairly targeted.

Sports world condemns Thomas and WNBA

The most recent flagrant foul, occurring on June 24, 2026, took place when Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas and Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark scrambled for a loose ball on the floor. As Thomas got up, her closed fist made contact with Clark's throat, and she also appeared to knee Clark in the groin. At the time that it happened, no foul was called by the referees, resulting in massive backlash by WNBA fans online. 

At the post-game press conference, Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White called the lack of response from referees "egregious" and "utterly disrespectful" toward Clark, who she referred to as a “generational star.” The following day, the WNBA retroactively labeled Thomas’ move illegal and issued a one-game suspension to the Phoenix player. 

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham believes that the WNBA and the referees “do nothing to protect" Clark. Her finger pointing gesture at players who commit flagrant fouls has in itself become an internet meme.

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, a major influencer in the sporting world, said on the "Wake Up Barstool" show, that "WNBA’s treatment of Clark reeks of ‘jealousy and hypocrisy,’ implying the league resents its biggest star because her popularity preceded the WNBA. “No one has ever come into the league like she has, it’s jealousy, it’s hypocrisy, and just not knowing where your bread is buttered […] They don’t like that she has been crowned this queen of the league before she even showed up, and they want to make a point about it, and they continue to make a point about it.”

Clark is a target

“This type of s– happens every single game to her, and the league and the refs do absolutely nothing about it,” Sophie Cunningham said in an episode of Show Me Something earlier this week. Clark, currently suffering from a basketball-related back injury, appears to agree, noting after a similar 2024 incident that “everybody is physical with [her], they get away with things that probably other people don’t get away with."

A former Philadelphia 76ers orthopedic consultant expressed concern for Clark’s physical safety moving forward. "She gets a lot to her face. She gets poked in the eye. She gets hit in the face," Dr. Nicholas DiNubile warned. “With her three-point shooting,” he added, “they get in her space and her landing space [...] way too often and that's very, very dangerous.”

Thomas, meanwhile, called the June 24 moves a "complete accident” and reported receiving death threats following the controversial game. Her coach reacted to the online anger as “toxicity, racism, homophobia,” while WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert assured Thomas that “the safety and well-being of everyone in our community is always the league’s top priority."

The WNBA has not yet commented on concerns for Clark’s safety on the court.