The above image of Phoenix Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas, bent over Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark, has perhaps become the most debated moment in WNBA history. The moment could have led to a serious injury for Clark, as Thomas’ fist landed on her neck. But amid everything that everyone has to say, Robert Griffin III offered a voice of reason.

He pointed out to the fact that Clark is the driving force behind the new media rights deals, sold-out arenas, and a CBA that finally pays players what they’re worth. However, many have also begun to pick sides in this battle from the perspective of race. While the issue remains a problem in the sporting world, Griffin thought that the Clark-Thomas controversy did not warrant this lens.

“Let’s just talk about basketball and how great they are and how they can improve. What Alyssa Thomas did was not about basketball. She is rightfully getting cooked for it and now she got suspended. But everything doesn’t have to be a race war. It shouldn’t be.”

Griffin, for his part, thinks the conversation has drifted away from what actually matters. He pointed out that Marina Mabrey just tied the WNBA’s single-game scoring record with 53 points, Olivia Miles broke Clark and Paige Bueckers’ record for fastest player to reach 300 points and 100 assists, and Angel Reese became the quickest player in league history to grab 1,000 rebounds. All of that, he argued, is getting buried under the noise of the controversial play.

The play happened with 6:52 left in the second quarter. Clark drove to the basket, fell as players scrambled for the ball, and Thomas’s hand connected with her neck. While trying to get out of the mix up, the Phoenix forward ended up stepping over Clark. The officiating crew did not penalize Thomas, pushing Fever head coach Stephanie White to label the lapse as “egregious” and “utterly disrespectful.”

Neither Clark nor Thomas have addressed this issue personally. However, the Phoenix forward has spoken about racist comments from fans before.

“Basketball is headed in a great direction, but we don’t want fans that are going to degrade us and call us racial names,” she said after facing the Fever in 2024, coincidentally. “We come to play basketball for our job and it’s fun, but we don’t want to go to work every day and have social media blown up over things like that. It’s uncalled for. Something needs to be done, whether it’s them checking their fans or this league checking, there’s no time for it anymore.”

Thomas was given a one-game suspension, which she will serve when the Mercury face the Toronto Tempo. Only then will we know if this controversy is snowballing into something more problematic.