Who is Alyssa Thomas? WNBA star suspended for punching Caitlin Clark in the throat

Phoenix Mercury All-Star Alyssa Thomas is nan latest villain to Caitlin Clark fans aft punching Clark successful nan pharynx during a crippled connected Wednesday night.

The referees missed nan punch successful existent time, but fans and nan convention agency did not.

A viral clip of nan punch successful slow mobility dispersed crossed societal media, pouring gasoline connected nan ongoing civilization warfare surrounding Clark’s beingness curen by opposing players, which has been a arguable rumor making love backmost to Clark's rookie play successful 2024.

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And Less than 24 hours aft nan incident, nan WNBA slapped Thomas pinch a one-game suspension for what was deemed a "reckless" and "non-basketball act."

Who is nan female down nan punch?

If Thomas wasn't successful nan WNBA, she says she would spell pro successful combat sports

In a 2019 question and reply pinch Nike PLAYlist, Thomas answered what athletics she would person gone pro successful if she didn't spell pro successful basketball.

"Either boxing aliases MMA," Thomas said.

If Thomas ne'er went pro successful immoderate sport, she said she would person gotten into dentistry.

"Since I was a kid, I loved going to nan dentist. I conscionable was fascinated pinch teeth and still am. I’m passionate astir that full process of cleaning," according to a profile connected WNBA.com.

The first clip Thomas stepped connected a hoops court, she threw a 'hissy fit'

Thomas was signed up to effort hoops for nan first clip astatine nan property of 5 by her mother, Tina, per nan WNBA.

Thomas said she "Threw myself each down nan stairs, down nan hallway," while her mom said "She conscionable threw an absolute hissy fit."

WNBA SUSPENDS ALYSSA THOMAS FOR 'RECKLESSLY' HITTING CAITLIN CLARK IN THROAT DURING SCRAMBLE

Her parents didn't fto her triumph a celebrated committee game

Thomas' parents ne'er took it easy connected her erstwhile they played "Candyland" arsenic she was increasing up.

"We weren’t nan parents that were conscionable going to fto you win," Tina said, per nan WNBA.

"In life, you person to fight, and really are you going to conflict if you don’t thatch your kids to fight? So if she fell over, ‘get up, you’re alright,’ and if she didn’t get up, you knew thing was wrong."

It was a parenting maneuver besides utilized by nan begetter of New York Yankees fable Derek Jeter, who famously ne'er fto Jeter triumph successful committee games aliases paper games erstwhile he was increasing up, to instill harsh competitiveness astatine an early age.

Thomas added that her mom was particularly difficult connected her and helped create her toughness.

"By nary intends was it easy, and it’s still not easy," Thomas said.

Thomas plays much physically because enarthrosis issues inhibit her shooting ability

Phoenix Mercury guardant Alyssa Thomas scrambles to get up complete Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark during a crippled astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse successful Indianapolis connected June 24, 2026. The Phoenix Mercury defeated nan Indiana Fever 111-109. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

Thomas presently plays hoops pinch torn labrums successful some of her shoulders.

The injuries are truthful terrible that she wholly lacks nan structural integrity to assistance her arms and sprout a traditional, fluid jump shot. Instead, she is forced to usage a rigid, one-handed pushing mobility from her thorax conscionable to get nan shot to nan rim.

Because she cannot trust connected extracurricular shooting, Thomas adapted by leaning wholly into her beingness frame. She drives straight into nan teeth of opposing defenses, absorbing dense interaction successful nan overgarment to people person to nan basket.

Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark shown aft falling successful nan lane while Phoenix Mercury guardant Alyssa Thomas watches nan shot astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse Indianapolis, Indiana connected June 24, 2026. (Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

That brutal, driving style requires her to initiate aggravated beingness collisions connected astir each azygous possession.

Despite nan mechanical limitations and changeless pain, nan tactical displacement worked. She transformed herself into a six-time All-Star, three-time First-Team All-WNBA, an Olympic golden medalist and nan undisputed triple-double queen of nan WNBA.

Thomas has been nan halfway of immense disapproval this week

The pharynx punch connected Clark ignited a fierce activity of backlash.

Indiana Fever Head Coach Stephanie White led nan charge, wholly unloading connected Thomas and nan league's officials during her postgame property conference.

"We person a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had 2 inexpensive shots correct location that weren't called," White said, pointing straight astatine Thomas's actions. "Absolutely unacceptable."

White based on that Thomas regularly crosses nan statement from playing beingness defense into inflicting dangerous, non-basketball contact.

"It’s perfectly egregious and utterly disrespectful," White continued to fume to reporters. "The fist successful nan pharynx is crazy. It's crazy. It's dangerous."

On Thursday, Fever President Kelly Krauskopf released a connection praising nan determination to suspend Thomas.

"Player information should beryllium paramount successful our league. We admit nan WNBA's reappraisal of past night's incident and nan action taken. Right now our focus is connected Caitlin and our full squad arsenic we hole for Saturday," Krauskopf wrote.

Former Minnesota Vikings skipper and salient blimpish activistic Jack Brewer said nan punch would beryllium considered a "hate crime" if nan roles were reversed.

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"This would beryllium considered a dislike crime if it were nan different measurement around," Brewer told Fox News Digital.

Other critics person expressed their ain outrage connected societal media.