Ever since the Indiana Fever’s 111-109 loss to the Phoenix Mercury on June 24, the Caitlin Clark-Alyssa Thomas incident has remained one of the WNBA’s biggest talking points. As fans continued to debate the controversial play and Alyssa Thomas gave her side of the story while facing mounting backlash, Clark, the player at the center of the incident, chose to stay silent. Speaking publicly for the first time since the incident during the Fever’s July 3 practice, the Indiana Fever guard has finally addressed what happened.

“I did think it was a flagrant foul. And our refereeing just needs to be better, and it’s tough. Obviously, the refs are in a really difficult spot. You know, it’s one of the hardest jobs in the world, in my opinion, is to make calls. All you do is get yelled at the whole time by everybody. You’re never winning,” Clark said while speaking to reporters after practice on July 3, 2026.

During the second quarter play, Clark fell while chasing a loose ball. Mercury star Alyssa Thomas, who was close, fell after her and appeared to press her fist into Clark’s throat during the scramble. However, officials allowed play to continue without calling a foul.

However, while the foul was not called initially, the WNBA reviewed the play and upgraded it to a Flagrant 2. The ruling was that Thomas had recklessly made contact with Clark’s throat in a non-basketball act. As a result, the Phoenix Mercury star received a one-game suspension, and Clark believes the league ultimately reached the correct decision.

“I don’t really think that it was up for debate. Obviously, it wasn’t called in real time. You go back and watch the clip. I think it’s pretty straightforward.”

While she acknowledged that it could be difficult for referees to catch everything, Clark said officials still have to do a better job protecting players in those moments.

“And don’t get me wrong, there’s going to be mistakes. Refs are going to make mistakes. They’re not going to see everything. The egregious ones, you got to call. That’s just the fact of the matter. You cannot miss things like that. And, you know, it’s been going on for three years.”

Concerns over WNBA officiating have been building for the past few seasons. Players and coaches have repeatedly criticized its inconsistency and the amount of physical play being allowed. Stars like Napheesa Collier and Angel Reese have publicly said it is “worse” than previous years.