Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts remains in the corner of forward Alyssa Thomas.
The WNBA suspended Thomas for one game after shoving her fist into the throat of Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark in the second quarter of a 111-109 Phoenix win on Wednesday night. That play, along with many others, fueled the narrative that the six-time All-Star is a dirty player. Tibbetts insists that’s false.
Nate Tibbetts defends Alyssa Thomas
“The people in this league know who [Alyssa Thomas] is,” the coach said before Phoenix’s road game against the Toronto Tempo on Saturday. “She’s a competitor. She’s a winner. …The one thing, she is not cheap.”
Tibbetts then criticized the league for punishing Thomas so suddenly. During the game, the officiating crew called no foul and didn’t review the play. That didn’t stop the league from quickly disciplining her. The coach felt the process should’ve been much more thorough.