The fallout from Caitlin Clark's controversial collision with Alyssa Thomas isn't slowing down. Now, a former NBA team physician is warning that the play could have ended far worse than it did.
Dr. Nicholas DiNubile, the longtime orthopedic consultant for the Philadelphia 76ers, told Fox News that the contact Clark absorbed during last week's Indiana Fever-Phoenix Mercury game highlights a serious safety issue—not just a missed foul. Speaking after the WNBA retroactively upgraded Thomas' contact to a Flagrant 2 and issued a one-game suspension, DiNubile said a direct blow to the throat can become a medical emergency in seconds.
"You can crush someone's larynx with very little pressure," DiNubile said. "Ten to 20 pounds of pressure can damage the throat or larynx area. Even if you don't fracture the larynx, a blow to that area, you could get some swelling or bleeding and close the airway and get into a very rapid life-or-death situation."
He added, "I wouldn't want to be the team doctor having to deal with that... you can't go for the throat."
Clark was injured during a loose-ball scramble when Thomas made contact with her throat. Officials allowed play to continue, but the league later determined the contact warranted a Flagrant 2 and suspended Thomas for one game.
The incident became the latest flashpoint in an ongoing debate over how physical opponents have been with the Fever guard—and whether officials are doing enough to protect her.
DiNubile believes the danger extends well beyond that single play.
"She gets a lot to her face. She gets poked in the eye. She gets hit in the face," he said. "With her three-point shooting... there's a lot of where they get in her space and her landing space. You see that way too often, and that's very, very dangerous."
He also dismissed the idea that Clark can simply avoid those situations herself.
"I don't think there's anything she can do," DiNubile said. "There's no way to really protect yourself in those instances... I don't think she brings any of it on herself."
The doctor's comments echo criticism that has been growing throughout the past week. Fever coach Stephanie White blasted officials after the game, calling the missed contact "absolutely unacceptable" and arguing Clark "is not called the same way as everybody else is called."
The WNBA has since disciplined Thomas but has also condemned the online abuse directed toward her following the suspension. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the league is committed to protecting all players, while White publicly denounced the "toxicity, racism, homophobia, straight-out nonsense" directed at Thomas and others online.
Clark remains sidelined with a back injury.
