Dave Portnoy Rips Mercury for Deleting Caitlin Clark Mock Post After Alyssa Thomas’ 1‑Game Suspension

Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas had her right fist in Fever guard Caitlin Clark's throat while trying to battle for the ball.

Dave Portnoy Rips Mercury for Deleting Caitlin Clark Mock Post After Alyssa Thomas’ 1‑Game Suspension

Caitlin Clark and Alyssa Thomas (Image via FirstSportz)

The NBA Draft might have been in session, but activities in the WNBA involving Caitlin Clark have dominated headlines and discussions across most platforms.

Everything started when the Phoenix Mercury visited the Indiana Fever a few nights ago. In that first game, the tensions were palpable from the start.

After all, the visitors managed to upstage the Fever and reach the WNBA Finals last season. That was confirmation that they were the better team, at least at the time.

These bragging rights came into play last year when Alyssa Thomas yelled at Fever fans that their former player, DeWanna Bonner, had justifiably quit to play for a stronger team.

The veteran’s departure left a bad taste in her former teammates’ mouths, and that was evident when she clashed with Caitlin Clark. That incident was confirmation that the two teams had created a rivalry.

Naturally, that would extend to their coaches and other departments, as was evident when the Phoenix Mercury used a cartoon drawing to mock Caitlin Clark lying on the floor.

Even though they used Bonner’s No. 24 to avoid it being a direct insinuation, fans received proof that the Mercury’s media department did indeed take shots at the Fever superstar when they took it down a day later.

The cowards at Phoenix Mercury deleted the post making fun of CC getting throat punched by Alyssa Thomas. If you’re gonna ruin the golden goose, at least stand by it. COWARDS.

Dave Portnoy wrote on X

The Barstool Sports founder brought receipts to let the Mercury know that their effort has not been lost. Fans know they had to take it down after Alyssa Thomas faced consequences.

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WNBA suspends Alyssa Thomas for punching Caitlin Clark

When basketball fans first saw how Alyssa Thomas’ fist connected with Caitlin Clark, they demanded that the league step in and do what the game officials did not.

Alyssa Thomas (middle) with her fist at Caitlin Clark's throat
Thomas (middle) with her fist at Clark’s throat (Image via Grace Smith/X)

Naturally, the league had to step in after the collective anger of fans reached the commissioner and the WNBA’s top brass. Soon, they arrived at a conclusion.

They announced via a statement that after review, they had assessed a Flagrant 2 foul on Thomas for her ‘reckless contact’ to the Indiana Fever guard’s throat. Invariably, she gets suspended for their next game against the Toronto Tempo.

Even though fans wanted the suspension to be longer, there is no evidence of malice. Therefore, the league can only go to the extent of applying whatever the rulebook says.

The Paris Olympics gold medalist can breathe a sigh of relief that she and her teammates will not be visiting Indiana anymore this season. With her team struggling to stay above the bottom of the standings, it is also unlikely that Thomas will have to face Fever fans in the postseason.

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Stephen A. Smith uses Magic Johnson-Michael Jordan analogy to warn WNBA about ill-treatment of Caitlin Clark

After knowing about this decision, Stephen A. Smith took to his namesake show to talk about why the WNBA needs to remind itself not to ill-treat Caitlin Clark.

Rising tide lifts all boats. You think Magic Johnson and Larry Bird wanted to concede the reins to Michael Jordan… She’s that girl. You ride that wave. You want to beat Caitlin Clark, beat her at basketball. Don’t beat her with roughhouse tactics.

Stephen A. Smith said on his namesake show

The ESPN analyst pointed out that if Clark’s head coach is talking about her lead player getting unfair officiating, it is a spot of bother.

He was not directly comparing the Fever guard to Michael Jordan in terms of basketball ability. Rather, he was suggesting how His Airness changed the game’s popularity.

Smith pointed out that if the league and its players are to continue growing and making money, they have to have Clark protected and playing basketball. Missing games and such fouls are not going to help.

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