Dan Dakich Ripped Alyssa Thomas After Caitlin Clark's Song, Says WNBA Stars Are Running Away Again

Alyssa Thomas says WNBA players have been unfairly painted as villains after the recent controversy involving Caitlin Clark.

Dan Dakich says Thomas' response is part of a larger pattern of WNBA players refusing to take responsibility for their actions.

The Mercury forward spoke to reporters after the league suspended him one game for “disrespectful contact with his fist to the throat” of Clark during the Phoenix's win over the Indiana Fever on June 24.

Thomas said that other players, including himself, did not even know that the game had become a big argument until the game was over.

“And now we are painted as criminals,” said Thomas, adding that “there are death threats against us.”

SUSPENDED ALYSSA THOMAS GET SUPPORT FROM TEAMMATE AND COACH AFTER HOT SHOT AT CAITLIN CLARK

Dakich isn't buying it.

On Tuesday's episode of “Don't @ Me with Dan Dakich,” the OutKick host responded to Thomas' comments and said his response was predictable.

“Say that you received death threats, blame the fans,” said Dakich. “You have to blame the fans because you can't answer for yourself.”

But he wasn't done yet.

“Because for 30 years, gay, African-American gays in the WNBA didn't have to commit,” Dakich continued. “Everyone, Diana Taurasi, you see Paige Bueckers and others, get along so you can get along.”

“Well, you know who's the only person who doesn't talk? Caitlin Clark.”

Of course.

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Clark took the hit and mostly stayed quiet.

Everyone else was talking too much.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark tries to defend as Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas commits 2 fouls. (Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

That has become a common pattern in the WNBA world. Clark brings attention, crowds and money. Then when things get bad, the conversation somehow moves away from what happened to Clark and instead focuses on how it affects the players who try to hurt him.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert cheered the game along, issuing a statement in support of Thomas while paying tribute to Clark.

“The WNBA strongly condemns all forms of hate. The safety and well-being of everyone in our community is always a priority for the league,” Engelbert said in a statement.

“We are aware of Alyssa Thomas' comments, and what she and her teammates experienced was completely unacceptable and unrepresentative of the WNBA community. Our security department and team have been in constant communication with the Phoenix Mercury organization and remain committed to protecting all players.”

Of course, Thomas didn't think that was good enough.

“The league must be tolerant,” said Thomas. “They came out without any hate speech, but what will that do?

“I'm sick and tired of it. It's time for them to stand up and save us from these conditions.”

Alyssa Thomas says WNBA players are facing death threats and racial slurs after the league was suspended over their connection to Caitlin Clark. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

No one is immune to death threats on social media.

But Engelbert was able to quickly issue a statement to Thomas.

So where was Clark's statement?

That's the question that follows women's sports reporter Christine Brennan when she joins Dakich.

“Is the league going to talk all about the visuals that will stay with this league, I believe forever?” Brennan asked.

“I think that image, the punch to the throat, is such a big deal,” Brennan continued. “Caitlin Clark, with all the TV ratings, all the attendance figures, everything she's brought, she's made Alyssa Thomas' life better. She's making a lot of money, she's no longer in the middle seat on the coach … And instead, she's getting a punch in the throat.”

That's a pretty brutal, but accurate, summary of Caitlin Clark's WNBA season thus far.

Clark made the WNBA bigger, richer and more famous. Not just for him, either. Players, coaches and owners all benefited.

He helped other players a lot, turned charter flights from talk into reality and was a big reason why the WNBPA had the power to increase salaries in the new 2026 CBA (a deal that doesn't fully benefit Clark, who signed his rookie contract before it was acquired, making him pay very little from a salary perspective).

The WNBA has proven woefully unprepared for the attention Caitlin Clark has brought to the league. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

And yet, the league still seems woefully unprepared for everything that comes with it.

Brennan said the WNBA failed from the start.

“It's just a lack of anticipation when you can see it coming a mile away,” Brennan said, pointing to the large audience Clark brought to women's college basketball before entering the WNBA.

“And the WNBA wasn't completely ready yet,” Brennan said.

That seems pretty obvious at this point.

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The WNBA wanted attention, money, TV viewers and mainstream relevance. Clark brought it all.

Now, the league has to find a way to handle everything that comes with having a true superstar.

Almost three years on, it apparently still has little to no clue.