WNBA legend Lisa Leslie didn't mince words about her reaction to what happened between Caitlin Clark and Alyssa Thomas when the Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury played earlier this week, which she conveyed during a June 27 segment on CBS Sports' "We Need To Talk" show. After Leslie said that she saw the incident where Thomas put her closed fist on Clark's throat after the two fought for a loose ball live thought it "Was a bit much," Leslie said, "In that moment, I thought that the official missed the call. I'm not surprised that the league went back and fined Alyssa Thomas. I think overall, the league has got to do better, the officials have got to do better. But also players! Players have to clean it up. We used to play in a way that you protected one another. Yeah, I want to play physical, I want to play hard. But I'm not out here trying to hurt you," per an X post from We Need To TalkShe then spoke about how if she got tangled up with a player or got in a physical altercation, she would have made sure the player was okay afterwards and helped them up. Leslie added, "I think that part is important, too; the reaction. Maybe if Alyssa Thomas would have even turned, been like, 'Dang. My bad. I didn't mean to hit you like that.' It's a different thing. But that's not what happened."And so, I think that the league got it right. But I think, overall, Coach Tibbetts is correct. Consistency is important. It needs to be cleaned up for all players, regardless of what their accolades are. None of that matters. It matters about protecting these players. No matter which team, which position, when they sub in, [from] the start of the game to the end of the game. Every player deserves the same type of protection," Leslie concluded. "The League HAS to do better!"@LisaLeslie on the inconsistency with the WNBA's officiating pic.twitter.com/OrF2AO89qt— We Need To Talk (@WeNeedToTalk) June 27, 2026Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow