Stephanie White supported Alyssa Thomas despite being a coach on a rival team. The same player who was deemed a flagrant 2 for her hand-on-neck contact with Caitlin Clark, White’s star. The coach herself called it ‘egregious’ and a ‘cheap shot,’ but came to her defense after the extreme online backlash personally targeted Thomas.

“It’s not acceptable. Yes, we have to continue to protect our players,” she said in her three-minute-plus statement. “I mean, I think obviously when there’s a lack of communication, you know, the void is filled with negativity, right?” she told reporters about the league’s communication delay, and former Minnesota Lynx forward Angel McCoughtry agrees.

“The commissioner should have said it first. This is not a good look. Stephanie White said this before our commissioner or a statement from the league about the way these players are being treated and how they’re not being protected,” Angel McCoughtry said on the ‘Court Vision’ podcast. “What she said was absolutely beautiful, but I’m very disappointed that this wasn’t done by the league first.”

On Tuesday, Alyssa Thomas herself expressed her disappointment at commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s silence. “We still have yet to hear anything from Cathy,” she said. “It’s no surprise you can see what’s being said on social media. It’s unfortunate. But as usual, she remains silent, and that’s unfortunate when our lives are being threatened.”

While Engelbert did release a statement, it came after Thomas’ statement. “The WNBA vehemently condemns any and all forms of hate. The safety and well-being of everyone in our community is always the league’s top priority,” the statement read.

“We are aware of Alyssa Thomas’ comments, and what she and her teammates have experienced is completely unacceptable and not representative of the WNBA community. The league and our security team have been in contact with the Phoenix Mercury organization and remain committed to protecting all players.”

Engelbert later said in an email to The Athletic that she exchanged texts with Thomas and offered a call on Tuesday. She also offered league security to the Mercury for their inquiry about the threats.

However, this isn’t the first time the league has played catch-up when it came to protecting their players. In fact, Alyssa Thomas herself faced some very similar threats in 2024.

“A couple years ago, when we played Indiana in the playoffs, the same thing, but not to this extent,” Thomas said, recalling the online backlash she faced after facing Caitlin Clark in the 2024 playoffs with the Connecticut Sun.

The WNBA is well aware of how frequently inconsistent officiating has turned into flashpoints on social media, resulting in backlash for their players. It’s the reason why the league launched its “No Space For Hate” platform in May 2025.

“A multi-dimensional platform designed to combat hate and promote respect across all WNBA spaces — from online discourse to in-arena behavior,” the WNBA wrote in its statement.

However, a year after its implementation, incidents like what Alyssa Thomas has faced continue to enrage the players and point to deeper issues within the league that the league has yet to effectively address.