Alyssa Thomas has a well-established reputation as one of the most physical and hard-nosed defenders in the WNBA. That reputation became a central point of discussion in the aftermath of her uncalled fist-to-the-throat foul on Caitlin Clark. Many pointed to a pattern of actions they considered excessively aggressive toward other players. And then they suggested that being on a course to purposely harm opponents was not something entirely new for Thomas.

Former Indiana Fever star Layshia Clarendon, however, believes fans are simply blowing the situation out of proportion. Speaking on Thursday’s episode of the No Offseason podcast, hosted by WNBA analyst Zena Keita, Clarendon made light of that growing narrative. 

“It’s like, ‘Are you a victim of Regina George though?’” Clarendon said amid laughter. “People are blowing it out of proportion like, ‘have you been run over by AT? Sorry you got your ass kicked.’”

Of course, Alyssa Thomas does have a documented history of excessively hard fouls against a number of WNBA players beyond Caitlin Clark. Last year, she received a flagrant foul after striking rookie Kiki Iriafen in the neck with an elbow while fighting for a rebound. In 2024, she received a Flagrant 2 foul and ejection after wrapping her arm around rookie Angel Reese’s neck during a rebound battle and slamming her to the floor.

These and other collections of flagrant fouls have fuelled the fan narrative of Thomas deliberately targeting opponents. But for Layshia Clarendon, that reading of the situation is simply inaccurate. “No, and she’s not punching people in the throat,” she said.

Clarendon is right to push back on the narrative of deliberate intent. But she also does not make light of the very real danger these fouls represent, and rightly so. 

Ex-NBA doctor Dr. Nicholas DiNubile, in fact, issued a stark warning about specifically what Thomas’s foul on Caitlin Clark could have meant. 

“You can crush someone’s larynx with very little pressure,” he said. “You can’t go for the throat.” 

But regardless, basketball is a contact sport, and dangerous plays can happen, as Keita also acknowledged. But when they do, they should not be automatically interpreted as premeditated assault, as many have done in this Caitlin Clark-Thomas incident.

Zena Keita, Layshia Clarendon Make Case for League’s Response to Alyssa Thomas Backlash

While there is no justification for dangerous fouls in basketball, flagrant plays happen more often than most casual observers realise. According to WNBA analyst Zena Keita, it would therefore seem unreasonable to expect WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to issue a formal public address every single time one occurs. That was her argument for why the Alyssa Thomas fist-to-the-throat foul on Caitlin Clark did not necessarily require the commissioner’s direct intervention.

“There’s a line of physicality with basketball, and sometimes we cross it as players,” she said.

For them, when this crossing happens, the right course of action is the consequence that it attracts. And in the case of Alyssa Thomas, she got a suspension.

Where Keita, however, draws a firm and clear line is when the issue moves beyond the basketball court entirely. Online hate, death threats, and targeted harassment, those, she argues, must always receive the league’s immediate and unambiguous attention. 

And so for Keita, the real fault with the WNBA Commissioner’s handling of this situation lies not in failing to address a flagrant foul. It is in failing to promptly address the wave of threats and abuse that Alyssa Thomas and her Mercury teammates endured after. That for her, is where the commissioner fell short.