Caitlin Clark: next moves emerge after throat strike as whistleblowers claim WNBA at crossroads over racism
Caitlin Clark is being called the “great white hope” — and the label is fuelling a surge of aggression against the Indiana Fever star that has left her bruised, battered and the subject of a growing league crisis. The 24-year-old guard, who transformed the commercial fortunes of the WNBA since arriving as the number one overall pick in 2024, has faced a succession of violent fouls from opponents. On Wednesday night she took a closed fist to the throat from Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas while fighting for a loose ball on the floor.
Recent incidents: from a throat punch to a black eye
The Thomas incident was the latest in a pattern of physical confrontations that has drawn comparisons to a football tackle. Thomas drove into Clark as she lay on the court and pushed her fist into the Fever star’s neck. The league reviewed the play after the game and deemed it a “non-basketball act,” issuing a Flagrant Foul 2 penalty and a one-game suspension, the first of Thomas’s career. She will serve the suspension on June 27 against the Toronto Tempo. During the same game Clark left in the second half with a back injury — she had been listed on the injury report with back issues all season — and did not return after tweaking it in the second quarter when she was fouled on a three-point attempt.
The assault is far from an isolated event. In June 2024, Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter was issued a Flagrant 1 foul for a shoulder-check on Clark during an inbound pass. Carter later said she had no regrets and that such contact is part of the game. In August 2024, the same team’s Diamond DeShields was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul for running over Clark during a fast break, an incident that some fans likened to a tackle. In June 2025, Connecticut Sun guard Marina Mabrey shoved Clark to the ground after Clark had been poked in the eye by her own teammate Jacy Sheldon; the foul was initially a technical but later upgraded to a Flagrant 2, with Mabrey admitting she overreacted while insisting she was defending a teammate. Clark also sustained a black eye from a swipe by DiJonai Carrington of the Connecticut Sun, described as a follow-through on a block attempt.
League reaction: neutrality under pressure
The WNBA has taken disciplinary action — suspending Thomas and upgrading fouls upon review — but many believe the league is failing to protect its biggest star. A source close to the league told the Daily Mail that the organisation has largely tried to remain neutral to avoid appearing to give preferential treatment to any one player. “The league has largely tried to stay neutral, in part because it doesn’t want to appear as though it’s giving preferential treatment to any one player,” the insider said. Fever coach Stephanie White has expressed frustration with officiating consistency, calling some incidents “egregious” and “unacceptable.”
Yet the escalating controversies are forcing the league to reconsider its approach. The same source said that “the conversations surrounding Caitlin have become increasingly heated both on and off the court, creating constant controversy and debate,” and that “the distractions have reached a point where many believe some kind of response or action will be needed sooner rather than later.”
The ‘great white hope’ narrative and player jealousy
The source directly attributed the aggression to a toxic undercurrent of jealousy and racism. “Unfortunately jealousy and racism play a huge part in all of this as many believe Caitlin has been given tremendous privilege and attention not because of her play but more that she is the great white hope,” the insider said. “She has wanted to stay away from all of that, but that is the sentiment within the league right now that is creating all this drama.”
That sentiment is reportedly widespread: “There are plenty of players around the WNBA who aren’t fans of Caitlin Clark, and a lot of that stems from the attention and spotlight she received the moment she entered the league. Some veterans felt she was being handed a level of recognition they spent years working for, while some of her fellow rookies and younger stars believed they deserved a similar share of the spotlight.”
Boomer Esiason, the former NFL MVP who now works as a New York sports radio host, amplified the controversy when he urged Clark to leave the WNBA. “If I were Caitlin Clark, I would seriously consider going to play overseas somewhere and get the royal treatment and get real money,” he said. “I know that Caitlin makes a ton of money off the court in terms of endorsements, and rightly so, but there is some petty jealousy. She’s a straight white basketball player and she is not being treated with any sort of respect whatsoever.” His remarks drew criticism, with some arguing he was pushing divisive narratives and that Clark faces the same physical challenges as other star players.
The racial and cultural tensions extend beyond the court. An investigation by the WNBA into allegations of racist fan remarks directed at Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese during a game against the Fever could not substantiate the claims. Senator Jim Banks has called for an apology from the league, Clark and the Fever regarding those unsubstantiated allegations. Media coverage has also been accused of falling back on racial stereotypes, with discussions about Clark’s fan base being “whiter” since her debut and allegations of racist jeers. Conversely, some analysts accused those who believed officials failed to call fouls on Clark of implying she receives special treatment because she is white.
Clark’s motivation: fuelled, not broken
Despite the physical punishment and the ugly narratives, the insider insisted Clark will not walk away. “All the noise and criticism has only added another chip to her shoulder, but it hasn’t come close to making her want to walk away. Unlike another famous Indianapolis athlete, she’s not about to pull an Andrew Luck and step away from the game. If anything, all of this has fueled her even more. She’s determined to use every doubt, every headline and every criticism as motivation to become the player everyone knows she can be — and the player she believes she is.”
The scale of Clark’s impact on the league makes her treatment all the more remarkable. Her arrival has been credited with the “Caitlin Clark Effect”: attendance is 105 per cent higher when she plays, merchandise sales are up 500 per cent, and the Fever’s franchise value has quadrupled. She signed a reported $28 million endorsement deal with Nike that includes a signature shoe. WNBA games featuring Clark averaged 1.32 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and CBS, nearly triple the previous season’s average. Yet the same spotlight also invites scrutiny. A series of injuries limited her to just 13 games in the 2025 season, and her back problem forced her to leave Wednesday’s 111-109 loss to Phoenix with 5:15 remaining in the third quarter, walking to the locker room and not returning after appearing to tweak the injury when she was fouled on a three-point attempt in the second quarter. Clark’s determination, according to the source, remains unwavering — and she is using every cheap shot and every headline as fuel for the fight ahead.
