ESPN Analyst Chiney Ogwumike Defends Alyssa Thomas' Behavior

But despite receiving a ton of blowback for her behavior, she's being defended by a prominent ESPN analyst.

Instead of criticizing Thomas for her behavior, she suggested that Clark "can embellish contact in certain situations."

ESPN analyst defends Alyssa Thomas's behavior

The ESPN analyst made it clear that she felt that the WNBA could have misjudged things.

"When narratives are created based off of a freeze-frame, that can create a huge problem. The league was reacting to the optics of that image," she said on Sunday.

"This was a marquee matchup. When you look at Alyssa Thomas and Caitlin Clark, they're both dominant players, but Alyssa plays on the edge. I know her, and Caitlin, at times, can embellish contact in certain situations."

Chiney believes the WNBA was reacting more to optics than anything else.

"Instead, the league found itself in a position where it had to be reactive. Rather than controlling the game through officiating, it ended up responding after the fact by doing something it rarely does, issuing a suspension for a non-call.

"I'll add one more thing. I think that largely happened because of the optics. Watching the play live, in real time, I didn't think much of it because players hit the floor all the time. But once narratives started forming around a freeze-frame image, that changed everything. I do think the league was reacting to the optics of that image."