Just when the Caitlin Clark-Alyssa Thomas saga appeared to be cooling off, Jason Whitlock poured gasoline on it. The outspoken commentator is now claiming the Phoenix Mercury star "faked" an injury to avoid the rematch with Clark and the Indiana Fever, adding another layer to a rivalry that has dominated WNBA headlines for weeks.
"The WNBA is hilarious," Whitlock wrote on X. "Thomas is faking an ankle injury so she can skip the Fever game tomorrow."
Whitlock made the accusation after Thomas went down during the team’s 77-66 loss to the Chicago Sky. The veteran forward appeared to sustain a non-contact leg injury while driving to the basket in the third quarter and was unable to put weight on it as teammates helped her off the floor.
But after heading to the locker room, Thomas returned later in the game and finished the night with 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes.
It remained unclear whether Thomas would be available for Phoenix's nationally anticipated matchup against Indiana later that week.
Officials missed the contact during the game, but the WNBA later upgraded the play to a Flagrant 2, fined Thomas $1,000, and handed her a one-game suspension after determining she had "recklessly" made contact with Clark's throat.
That decision ignited one of the biggest debates of the WNBA season. Fever coach Stephanie White blasted officials for allowing what she called "cheap shots" against Clark, while teammate Sophie Cunningham claimed opponents were "definitely targeting" the league's biggest star.
"As I've stood here and said before, the harassment, the hate, none of that is OK," Clark said last week. "That goes for the opposing team we play. That goes for my teammates. That goes for my coaches."
In addition to the injury scare, Thomas picked up her fourth technical foul of the season while arguing with officials, triggering another automatic fine under the WNBA's collective bargaining agreement.
