Chaos, controversy and a WNBA All-Star Game crossroads — SkimNews
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- The WNBA assessed a flagrant foul 2 and issued a one-game suspension to Alyssa Thomas after she pushed her closed fist against Caitlin Clark's throat during a June 24 Fever-Mercury game, even though no foul was called on the floor at the time.
- Thomas said she received death threats after the viral clip and that players were being "painted as thugs"; Clark on July 3 called WNBA officiating in need of improvement and said the continued focus was "a disservice" to the league.
- Congressional representatives wrote WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert on July 8 saying Clark was receiving "unnecessary physical hostility and violence" and demanding the league create a safe workplace.
- Toronto Tempo coach Sandy Brondello was suspended one game without pay after calling Angel Reese a "protected species" in a July 17 game; Reese posted the clip on X with a clown emoji and called the language dehumanizing when aimed at a Black player.
- Sophie Cunningham drew both backlash and support after voicing in a July 21 ESPN article her view that transgender girls and women should be barred from girls'/women's sports — the White House and Department of Education backed her, and her exclusive Adidas colorway sold out in under an hour on July 24.
- Aces forward Brianna Turner said on X that transgender athletes have caused "zero problems" in her career and accused her former organization, the Fever, of firing a staff member for sexual harassment and instructing players not to discuss it; the Fever responded that protecting its workplace is a "top priority."
- WNBA All-Star Weekend opened in Chicago Thursday night at McCormick Place with the orange-carpet showcase — but 12 miles north at Whiskey Girl Tavern, season-ticket holder Jaye Williams said "politics has killed my hobby" as the league's turbulence threatened the celebration.
Why it matters: The WNBA's 30th season was supposed to be its biggest yet — a new CBA, surging ticket demand, and Chicago's marquee All-Star Weekend — but the run-up was dominated by racialized flashpoints (Thomas's suspension, Reese called a "protected species," Chelsea Gray's racist harassment) and a transgender-sports debate that pulled in Congress and the White House. The league's growth story is now inseparable from off-court controversy, and a season-ticket holder quoted in the piece says "politics has killed my hobby."
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