A former National Basketball Association medical consultant has raised serious concerns about the physical safety of Caitlin Clark in the Women's National Basketball Association.
Dr. Nicholas DiNubile, a former orthopedic consultant for the Philadelphia 76ers, pointed to a recent uncalled throat strike against the Indiana Fever guard by Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas during a June 24 game.
The league later upgraded the incident to a retroactive Flagrant 2 foul and suspended Thomas for one game.
Thomas described the play as a "complete accident."
"The type of contact and the amount of contact that she gets is concerning to me. It's troubling to me," DiNubile said.
He emphasized that impacts to the neck area can have catastrophic health implications for professional athletes.
"You can crush someone's larynx with very little pressure. Ten to 20 pounds of pressure can damage the throat or larynx area," DiNubile explained.
"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 noted that such injuries would present unprecedented on-court emergencies for medical staff.
"I wouldn't want to be the team doctor having to deal with that. That's what keeps us up at night," he said.
Pattern of Physical Contact
According to Fox News Digital, Clark has faced 13 documented instances of controversial physical contact since her 2024 rookie debut, including a ruptured eardrum and multiple eye pokes.
"She gets a lot to her face. She gets poked in the eye.
She gets hit in the face," DiNubile said.
He also noted that defenders frequently compromise Clark's landing space when she attempts three-point shots.
"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 said.
DiNubile warned that high-impact collisions often cause secondary trauma when players strike the hardwood floor.
"Just getting hit on the head and hit across the head, you know, head injuries, concussions, any variety of things like that.
Then you fall to the floor and anything can happen," he said.
When asked about defensive adjustments Clark could make, the doctor said the responsibility falls on league officials.
"I don't think there's anything she can do," DiNubile said.
He explained that flagrant fouls leave targeted players with minimal recourse.
"It's hard to protect yourself with those type of... And that's why they're flagrant fouls, right?
There's no way to really protect yourself in those instances," he said.
DiNubile urged the league and referees to tighten enforcement.
"I think they should be calling things," he said. "They can officiate better...
I mean, how do they miss this?"
The incident sparked online backlash, prompting WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to release a statement addressing harassment directed at Phoenix Mercury players.
"The safety and well-being of everyone in our community is always the league's top priority," Engelbert said.
Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides also condemned toxic online reactions and threats targeting Thomas and teammate DeWanna Bonner.
"I think as a league, as a whole, there's been so much more toxicity, racism, homophobia, straight-out nonsense...
it is absolutely unacceptable," Sides said.
