NBA Commissioner Adam Silver reportedly convinced WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert to suspend Alyssa Thomas
· Yahoo Sports
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert suspended Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas for one game due to an altercation with Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark.
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Missed this earlier because I’m siting high up. But #Mercury star Alyssa Thomas pushing down on #Fever star Caitlin Clark’s neck is something the officials should have reviewed.
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) June 25, 2026
(To clarify, from my now *deleted* tweet, I’m not sure if this is related to CC’s back, but still.) pic.twitter.com/MMVZttFlSU
The Sports Business Journal (SBJ) reported on Wednesday that Englebert initially did not plan to suspend Thomas and only did so after being convinced by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
Englebert then issued a one-game suspension and called the penalty a Flagrant 2, which brought with it a $1,000 fine.
The WNBA said that reports that Englebert had not initially planned to suspend Thomas were “absolutely false.”
Englebert is in the final season of her current contract as the WNBA Commissioner, and the SBJ reports that some believe that Silver's need to step in and persuade Englebert to enact the punishment suggests she is likely in her final season as the league’s Commissioner.
Silver spoke Tuesday at an NBA Summer League news conference, but did not address the reports that he stepped in and persuaded Englebert to enact discipline on Thomas. He did say that he thought the league has had “tremendous progress” under Englebert and that she “continues to do a strong job building that league.”
As for Englebert’s future in her position, the NBA Commissioner said that “We’ll have discussions about what the future looks like.”
The SBJ reported that, because no foul was called on Thomas in the game, Englebert didn’t want to follow up with a suspension. Those same sources said that Silver believed, “there was clear evidence of a flagrant foul, that he felt badly for Clark and told Engelbert she had to act.”