The WNBA star who was banned for punching Caitlin Clark in the throat has been backed by her fiancee and teammate in a bold show of public support.
The Phoenix Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas couldn’t play for her team on Saturday as she served her one-game suspension in the wake of the shocking incident.
Last Wednesday, Indiana Fever superstar – and face of the league – Clark was driving to the hoop when she fell to the ground, before Thomas charged in and put her closed fist into her rival’s neck.
But while Thomas herself wasn’t on the court on Saturday, her presence was still felt at the arena when her fiancee and teammate DeWanna Bonner turned up wearing the No 25 jersey.
Thomas wears No 25 and the gesture was seen by many as a very public dig at Clark and the Indiana Fever as the fallout continues to escalate.
Bonner and Thomas are one of the WNBA’s biggest power couples and have been engaged since 2023. They were previously teammates on the Connecticut Sun in the 2020 Covid-19 bubble before going public in 2021, and they have since reunited again in Phoenix.
DeWanna Bonner turns up to the game in the No 25 jersey of her fiancee and teammate Alyssa Thomas, who was banned for punching Caitlin Clark in the throat
Bonner (left) and Thomas are engaged and have been teammates on multiple rosters
Bonner made it clear on Saturday that her loyalties lie squarely with Thomas, as she gave a very stern look on her arrival at the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, Canada.
The public backing of her fiancee comes in the wake of a withering attack on the WNBA and its referees by Clark’s own teammate, Sophie Cunningham.
The throat punch incident was missed by the referees – and Cunningham revealed the Fever team were also unaware during the game of what had happened.
Speaking on her podcast, Cunningham explained: ‘I did not see that happen. None of our team saw that happen in real time, but if we did we would have had her back.
‘Unfortunately, this type of s*** happens every single game to her and the league and the refs do absolutely nothing about it.’
‘You see the videos of literally kneeing and cheap-shotting C in the throat – like, if she did that to any of our teammates we would be p***ed. But they are definitely targeting her and the league and the refs do nothing to protect her.
‘They’re definitely targeting her and the league and the refs do nothing to protect her.’
Cunningham’s podcast co-host, West Wilson, went further and accused the WNBA commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, of being jealous of Clark’s fame.
‘I don’t want to get in beef with Cathy but it is like she is jealous of her, or thinks that because she is a bigger face than the WNBA has had, she won’t give her the platform,’ Wilson said. ‘It is so f***ing weird, it is bizarre.’
Thomas appeared to punch Clark in the throat during their game and was handed a suspension
Clark’s teammate Sophie Cunningham has slammed WNBA bosses in response to the incident
Many WNBA fans have claimed that a one-game ban for Thomas was lenient, and she will return to the court on Thursday night against the Seattle Storm.
Phoenix Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts, meanwhile, has taken the opposite view, instead using his platform to hit out at the league and its suspension process.
‘I’d like to hit on my disappointment in the suspension process by our league and our leaders in the W. This was not a thorough investigation in my opinion,’ he said, adding that nobody from the WNBA had reached out to him for his opinion.
‘The people in this league know who AT is,’ he added. ‘She’s a competitor, she’s a winner, and she’s tough. The one thing she is not is cheap.’
